Search continues in B.C. after child mauled, RCMP shoot wrong bear

By: The Canadian Press Posted: Last Modified:

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MAPLE RIDGE - The search for a black bear who attacked a three-year-old girl east of Vancouver on the weekend is still ongoing after officials say Mounties killed the wrong bear.

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MAPLE RIDGE – The search for a black bear who attacked a three-year-old girl east of Vancouver on the weekend is still ongoing after officials say Mounties killed the wrong bear.

A spokesperson for the provincial parks ministry says RCMP officers killed a black bear hours after the mauling on Sunday in Maple Ridge, but an necropsy later proved it wasn’t the “offending” animal.

The spokesperson says the public is still being asked to avoid the area as authorities search for the bear involved.

A young girl is in hospital after police and conservation officials say she was attacked by a bear outside her family's home in a city east of Vancouver. A black bear stands near the side of Highway 881 near Conklin, Alberta, on May 10, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
A young girl is in hospital after police and conservation officials say she was attacked by a bear outside her family's home in a city east of Vancouver. A black bear stands near the side of Highway 881 near Conklin, Alberta, on May 10, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

The attack happened in the backyard of the girl’s home, and a parent intervened and chased the bear away.

The child was airlifted to B.C. Children’s Hospital with non-life-altering injuries.

B.C. RCMP said on Sunday that officers shot a bear that had returned to the home multiple times after the attack, and it ran into a wooded area after it was struck.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2026.

Note to readers:This is a corrected story. A previous version said there was an autopsy on the bear.

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