Bear that mauled Maple Ridge toddler confirmed dead after initial uncertainty

The bear shot by Mounties on August 9 was indeed the animal that attacked a three-year-old girl on her back patio in Maple Ridge, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service confirmed Friday—reversing an earlier statement that had cast doubt on whether they'd killed the right animal.

Anaiyah Lekei was attacked at her home when a black bear came onto her patio. Her father and neighbours drove the animal off. RCMP officers responded and shot a bear near the attack site, but the Conservation Officer Service initially said it was not the bear responsible for the mauling.

After DNA analysis and reassessment of evidence gathered at the scene, investigators determined the killed bear was the attacker. "Based on the evidence available to our investigators at the time, we initially concluded that this was not the bear involved in the attack," said Sgt. Jeremy Pauls of the Conservation Officer Service. "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."

Lekei was airlifted to B.C. Children's Hospital with serious wounds to her neck and head and continues her recovery. No other bears have been killed in connection with the incident, and the investigation is now closed.

Two other bear encounters were reported in B.C. on Friday. Near Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, a woman hiking with off-leash dogs encountered a bear with a cub; the bear attacked the dogs and injured the woman, though both dogs survived. Conservation officers found no bear when they swept the area and closed the park temporarily. In Nelson, officers killed a grizzly sow exhibiting food-conditioned behaviour and loss of fear of people after it repeatedly visited residential properties and barbecues. Two yearlings associated with the sow were captured and released at an undisclosed location for continued monitoring.