News excerpts: A grizzly bear attacked a group of elementary schoolchildren and their teachers in rural western Canada, officials have confirmed.
Two people have been left seriously injured in the attack, which took place around 2 pm local time in the community of Bella Coola, around 600 miles north of Vancouver.
Authorities have also said that the “aggressive bear” responsible for the attack is still at large, but have also warned members of the public not to go hunting it.
British Columbia Emergency Health Service officials have also confirmed that seven more people were treated at the scene.
Parent Veronica Schooner told The Canadian Press that her son, Alvarez, was in the mixed Year 4-5 class that was attacked by the bear while on a walk. She said that her son was so close to the bear that he “felt its fur.”
"He was running for his life," she said. The mother referred to her son as a “little soccer star” who was limping so badly she feared he might never play again. “He keeps crying for his friends, and oh my goodness, right away he started praying for his friends, right? Because everything was so uncertain.” On Facebook, Schooner posted a photo of her son’s torn sneakers in the wake of the attack.
Schooner says that her son has been left ‘traumatized’ by the attack.
"Everybody was in shock at the school,” she added, speaking to The Canadian Press. “A lot of people were crying, and I don't know, I just wanted my son, and I grabbed him, and then I took him home.”
The grandparent of another victim said that the child required around 100 stitches as a result of the incident and will still need to be transported to another facility for further treatment.
The community has rallied together in the wake of the horrifying attack, with members of the Naxalk Nation warning residents to “remain indoors and off the highway.” They also confirmed that their officers are “armed” and ready to deal with the bear.
"Paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to four patients and transported them to the hospital. Two patients were in critical condition and two were in serious condition," he added....Show more →
Note: There have been no comments on what precautions the teachers were taking, and no word on if the bear was with a cub. Bella Coola is a location where many photographers go to photograph grizzlies and at this time of year as the bears are after as many spawning salmon as they can eat before hibernating.
Needless to say there are already many calling for a grizzly cull and that hunters be allowed to have a higher quota. As a result the grizzlies will be losers, just like all wildlife is when there are conflicts with humans, and there will be many more such conflicts as human population and urbanization increases.
If you choose to live in the domain of another creature, you will be affected by that creature. If you want to be safe, then don't live there. Stupid humans. Sad for the bears. The bear wasn't aggressive, it was just acting naturally. Sorry there were innocent victims due to bad decisions by others. So, who exactly are the 'authorities' here? I doubt they are biologists or wildlife managers of any sort. Probably just police with trigger fingers. I hate people.
Note: There have been no comments on what precautions the teachers were taking, and no word on if the bear was with a cub. Bella Coola is a location where many photographers go to photograph grizzlies and at this time of year as the bears are after as many spawning salmon as they can eat before hibernating.
Needless to say there are already many calling for a grizzly cull and that hunters be allowed to have a higher quota. As a result the grizzlies will be losers, just like all wildlife is when there are conflicts with humans, and there will be many more such conflicts as human population and urbanization increases....Show more →
Thanks for your thoughts Tony. I agree with you. You live there.
the moment the province ended the hunting of grizzlies almost 10 years ago, this was the exact result people were predicting. more and more bear attacks. when politics meets science, this is what you get.
Between 1990 and 2023 in Canada, there were 17 grizzly attacks resulting in 20 deaths. Nearly half of the fatalities happened in Alberta.
There were 22 black bear attacks causing 24 deaths over the same 33-year period.
In 2023 there were 123 homicides in BC.
So over a 33-year period there were a total of 44 deaths from both black and grizzly bears in all of Canada. In the single year of 2023 there were 123 people killed by other people in the province of BC.
So far in this year 80 people have been murdered in British Columbia. On average, there are about 2-3 fatal grizzly bear attacks per year in all of North America. What does that tell you?
They were carrying bear spray. It's mentioned in the story. I like grizzlies and don't want to see them harmed, but honestly, I'm more concerned about the eleven people, most of them kids, and the two of them in critical condition. The title of this thread is honestly a little disgusting.
RikWriter wrote:
They were carrying bear spray. It's mentioned in the story. I like grizzlies and don't want to see them harmed, but honestly, I'm more concerned about the eleven people, most of them kids, and the two of them in critical condition. The title of this thread is honestly a little disgusting.
Well it is pathetic that you find the title a little disgusting. It is a factual statement and does not imply that I am less concerned about the injured people. Maybe try not to make assumptions.
Also, take a look at how many people are murdered in Wyoming each year compared to how many have been killed by grizzlies. And those murders were committed by the most intelligent species on earth. Were any of those murderers sentenced to death?
Neither you, myself, or anyone else knows why that grizzly (supposedly having an injury and two cubs) carried out that attack.
JFYI:
Millions of people circuit through the central core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem each year where an estimated 700 grizzlies are said to live. In Yellowstone National Park, where 4.3 million human visits are notched, there is an average of one bear mauling a year (three times as many people have been injured by bison and elk). Again, grizzly fatalities are rare.
RikWriter wrote:
And it's disgusting you find it pathetic. I like bears, but I'm a human. Innocent kids are more important to me and your post is in very bad taste.
And your idiotic stats about Wyoming are totally irrelevant to the discussion at hand.
Then go away and don't read my comments. I guess you think there were not innocent kids impacted by all the homicides committed in Wyoming, in all of the U.S., and in all of Canada. Too difficult a concept for you?
Not my problem if you can't grasp any connection between bears killing people and people killing people.
It is so heartwarming to hear you are a human.
Bye, bye, no more bad taste from comments from you.
Imagemaster wrote:
Then go away and don't read my comments. I guess you think there were not innocent kids impacted by all the homicides committed in Wyoming, in all of the U.S., and in all of Canada. Too difficult a concept for you?
Not my problem if you can't grasp any connection between bears killing people and people killing people.
It is so heartwarming to hear you are a human.
Bye, bye, no more bad taste from comments from you.
Well done Tony. You have disparaged yet another contributor to FM because they dare challenge your post. Quite a lineup you are acquiring.
angel manguel wrote:
Well done Tony. You have disparaged yet another contributor to FM because they dare challenge your post. Quite a lineup you are acquiring.
Alan
You mean the only member that disparaged the title of this thread:
The title Grizzlies will be killed as a result is a simple fact.
Goes to show what a piece of work you are, and back to 'HIDE'
Imagemaster wrote:
You mean the only member that disparaged the title of this thread:
The title is a simple fact.
Goes to show what a piece of work you are, and back to 'HIDE'
Tony, no need to be nasty. Your title is set in the future - Grizzlies WILL be killed'. That is not a fact, my friend. It is a supposition, a prediction.
