Bear killed after attack on three-year-old Maple Ridge girl was responsible, DNA confirms

A black bear killed by police after attacking a three-year-old girl in the backyard of her Maple Ridge home was, in fact, the animal responsible for the attack, the BC Conservation Officer Service has confirmed.

The finding, announced Aug. 14, reverses an earlier conclusion from conservation officers that the bear killed by Maple Ridge RCMP was not responsible for attacking the child.

COS Sgt. Jeremy Pauls said further investigation, including DNA analysis, confirmed police had killed the offending bear.

“Following further investigation, including a reassessment of the evidence, additional evidence gathering, and DNA analysis, we can now confirm the bear dispatched was in fact the bear responsible for the attack,” Pauls said.

The attack happened at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 9 in the 12300 block of 240 Street.

According to conservation officers, the three-year-old girl was playing on the back deck of her family’s home when she was attacked by an adult black bear.

A parent who was nearby intervened and managed to chase the bear away.

BC Emergency Health Services airlifted the girl to BC Children’s Hospital, where she was treated for injuries described at the time as non-life-threatening and non-life-altering.

Maple Ridge RCMP responded to the home and secured the area for paramedics. Police said a bear then returned to the residence and immediate area several times over approximately 40 minutes, including entering residential properties where people were outside.

At approximately noon, officers encountered a bear they believed was responsible for the attack and fired at the animal. Police said the bear was struck but initially fled into a wooded area. It was subsequently killed.

The following day, however, the Conservation Officer Service announced that a necropsy had determined the dead bear was not responsible for attacking the girl.

That prompted the agency’s specialized Predator Attack Team to continue its investigation and efforts to locate the bear believed to have attacked the child.

Maple Ridge RCMP defended its officers’ actions at the time, saying they had reasonably believed the bear they encountered was responsible for the attack and posed an immediate threat to the public.

“Based on the information available at the time, officers reasonably believed it was the same bear involved in the attack and made the decision to dispatch the animal to prevent further injury or loss of life,” RCMP said in an Aug. 10 statement.

Four days later, the Conservation Officer Service reversed its finding.

Pauls said investigators reassessed the evidence, gathered additional evidence and conducted DNA analysis before confirming the bear killed by RCMP was the animal responsible.

“We recognize the impact of our earlier assessment and apologize for the confusion involved,” Pauls said. “We’re grateful to the RCMP officers who responded quickly to protect public safety.”

No other bears were killed in connection with the incident, according to the Conservation Officer Service.

The agency has now concluded its investigation.

“As they continue to recover, our thoughts remain with the victim and her family,” Pauls said.