--- title: "Two Hikers Were Killed by a Sow Grizzly With Cubs In ‘Very Rare’ Predatory Attack" description: "The recent fatal grizzly attack involved predatory behavior, which experts say is very rare." date: "2026-11-11" modified: "2026-11-11" authors: - name: "Kris Millgate" job_title: "Contributor" link: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/authors/kris-millgate.md" url: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival/grizzly-predatory-attack-bc/" categories: - "Animal Attacks" - "Bear Hunting" - "Grizzly Bear Hunting" - "Hunting" - "Predator Hunting" - "Survival" tags: - "News" --- # Two Hikers Were Killed by a Sow Grizzly With Cubs In ‘Very Rare’ Predatory Attack ![A grizzly sow walks on dirt with her cubs.]() *A grizzly walks with her cubs. The photographer says she first spotted the family of bears this July. Photo by Tim Raines / NPS* Two women and four grizzlies are dead near Bella Coola, British Columbia after an unusual and horrific predatory attack. A sow with three cubs killed two hikers, a mother-daughter pair who had been missing since November 1. DNA tests confirm the women were killed by the bears. “It’s surreal. It doesn’t seem real,” Josh Balcarras, a family member, told [CBC News](). “The way it starts is a few hours of not hearing from them. That turns into a day, and then a night. Then a second night comes and it becomes a real thing.” The remains of Jennifer Balcarras, 48, were found November 2. The remains of her daughter, 20-year-old Selah Reed, were found November 3. The two were not far from a trail in the steep and heavily-wooded [Snooka]() Trail System. Both were buried in caches, something bears often do to hide their food from other animals. Investigators consider the attack to be motivated by predation. “This attack involved predatory behavior, which I can tell you is very rare,” Jeff Tyre, British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) inspector said in a recorded [statement]() issued November 10. “That is to say, we don’t know how it started but we know how it ended. Out of respect for the family, I’m going to decline to answer what predatory behavior looks like specifically in this case.” The mother grizzly bear was in her late teens. Her three cubs were born this year. BCCOS announced November 10 that all four were captured and euthanized for their predatory behavior. A week after finding the remains of the second woman, the case is considered closed and trapping equipment has been removed. Nuxalk Nation cultural leaders will decide how the bear remains will be used. “They all had to be destroyed because bears that are involved in attacks on people cannot be rehabilitated or relocated,” Tyre said. “This type of behavior presents an extreme risk to the public and such bears are dispatched to protect the public and prevent similar attacks in the future.” This most recent attack happened nearly a year after a grizzly attacked a group of tribal school [children]() who were having lunch in the same region last November. In that case covered by [OL](), three students and one adult were hospitalized after a grizzly raided their picnic. Despite the two high-profile incidents, investigators say grizzly bear attacks are not increasing near Bella Coola. They also cross-checked DNA from bears involved in both cases. None of the grizzlies euthanized this year were involved in the group attack last year. That bear was never located. The tribe renewed its safety [protocol]() during this year’s investigation. It has since lifted curfew but continues nightly patrols and offers escorts to take kids to school. “This attack has been deeply re-triggering for our community members as we continue to recover from last year’s attack,” stated Samuel Schooner, [Nuxalk Nation]() elected chief. “Our focus continues to be on taking care of our community members.” Bella Coola is in the coastal region of British Columbia. Coastal bears and interior bears are genetically the same grizzly species, but their size and diet are different. Coastal bears have access to salmon, a nutrient-rich food source. “Individual bears with increased access to salmon tend to be larger, have bigger litters, have lower stress hormone levels, and exist at higher densities at a population level,” reads an October 2025 [study]() by Lauren Henson and Kris Christensen published in the scientific journal G3: Genes, Genomes and Genetics. “Interior grizzlies \[have\] smaller body mass and skull size than coastal individuals.” **Read Next: [These Alaskans Stopped a Charging Grizzly at 5 Yards with Their 10mm Pistols]()** BC’s combined coastal and interior grizzly bear [population]() has increased from 6,600 in the 1970s to 15,000 in 2018. In 2017, BC implemented a controversial grizzly bear hunting ban. Those in favor of the ban believe that a lack of grizzly hunting does not lead to more human fatalities, but organizations [opposing]() the ban refer to recent attacks as reason to re-open the hunt. “We have to do something,” Jesse Zeman, B.C. Wildlife Federation executive director told CBC News. “What we’re currently doing is very clearly not working.” ## Author Kris Millgate is a multimedia journalist based in eastern Idaho. She’s a fly fisher, a bird hunter and an avid seeker of awkward moments. Read and watch more of her work at tightlinemedia.com