Three children were among those injured when a grizzly emerged from the forest in a remote part of Canada and charged a group of 20 kids and their teachers.
Two of the injured were in critical condition and two in serious condition, the Health Services Authority said Friday. All four remain hospitalized.
The attack occurred on Thursday in the Bella Coola area of British Columbia (BC), when a bear charged a group of 20 children and their teachers.
“In my 34 years of experience, I have not seen a [bear] attack like this with such a large group of people,” Inspector Kevin Van Damme of the BC Conservation Officer Service told reporters.
Authorities have urged people to stay out of the area while they search for the bear.
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Teachers fought off the grizzly
The students and teachers had stopped on the trail when the bear emerged from the forest and attacked the group.
According to conservation officials, teachers intervened, using bear spray and a bear banger to repel the attack and “put themselves in harm’s way to protect the children.”
“I want to thank the teachers for their heroism,” provincial Premier David Eby said.
The group was from the Acwsalcta School, run by the Indigenous Nuxalk Nation.
Bear-human encounters rise as winter nears
Conflicts with humans often increase as winter approaches, when grizzlies seek fat reserves for hibernation.
Reports of bear encounters have risen in Bella Coola, which has a large grizzly population. But officials warn this doesn’t mean bears are becoming more aggressive overall.
“One individual bear could increase conflicts,” Inspector Van Damme said. “It’s not necessarily generic across the population.”
Edited by: Sean Sinico
DW News
