‘So close he felt its fur’: Grizzly bear mauls schoolchildren in Canada

20 hours ago 4

By Maiya Keidan

November 22, 2025 — 11.46am

Toronto: A grizzly bear attacked a group of primary school students on a walking trail in Canada, seriously injuring three children and a teacher.

The attack happened in the town of Bella Coola – about 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver – on the central coast of the western province of British Columbia.

Students and teachers were walking along a trail when a grizzly bear burst out of the forest and attacked them.

Officers were still searching for the animal on Saturday (AEDT), and residents had been told to remain indoors until further notice.

The students and teachers had stopped along a trail near the river when the grizzly burst out of the forest and attacked, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) said.

Several teachers intervened, using bear spray and a bear banger – a loud, exploding device used to deter wildlife – to drive the bear away.

Parent Veronica Schooner said her 10-year-old son, Alvarez, was among the children from the years 4-5 class who were attacked while they were on a walk.

Teachers tried desperately to drive the grizzly away from the pupils. Eleven people were hurt.

He was so close to the animal “he even felt its fur”, she said.

“He was running for his life,” she told The Canadian Press. “He said that bear ran so close to him, but it was going after somebody else.”

Schooner said a lot of people tried to halt the attack but one male teacher “got the whole brunt of it” and was among the people taken by helicopter from the scene.

She said some children were hit with bear spray as the teachers fought off the bear.

“I want to thank the teachers for their heroism,” B.C. Premier David Eby said at a press conference on Friday.

“I want to send my heart out to the parents and kids and loved ones and everyone who has been injured and is in hospital right now, and I hope for their quick recovery.”

Schooner said Alvarez was limping and that his shoes were muddy from running for safety.

While her son was “traumatised”, she said his thoughts were with his classmates. “He keeps crying for his friends, and oh my goodness, right away he started praying for his friends,” she said.

Paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to four patients and took them to hospital, the Provincial Health Services Authority told Reuters by email.

Two patients were in a critical condition and two in a serious condition. A further seven people were cared for at the scene but did not require transportation to hospital.

Corporal Madonna Saunderson, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, described the victims’ injuries as “very serious at the very least”, The Canadian Press reported. Authorities have not yet confirmed the ages or genders of the pupils.

The group was from the Acwsalcta School, run by the Indigenous Nuxalk Nation, which was closed on Friday.

“It’s hard to know what to say during this very difficult time. We are so grateful for our team and our students,” the school said in a Facebook post, adding that counselling services had been made available.

The Nuxalk Nation chief and council said in a statement on Friday that the bear attack had affected children and so many loved ones.

“We remain in close contact with the families, and we understand that those who were injured are receiving the highest level of care,” it said.

BCCOS said the bear had not yet been captured.

“Officers are armed. Remain indoors and off the highway,” Nuxalk Nation said in a social media post.

Reuters, AP

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