A Bella Coola, British Columbia, resident is sharing her terrifying ordeal after a grizzly bear tore through her home, an event that preceded a separate, violent attack on a group of schoolchildren and teachers in the same community just one month later.
A Home Torn Apart
In October, Tanyss Munro returned to a scene of devastation at her Bella Coola property. A grizzly bear had forced its way inside, ripping down walls, destroying her kitchen, and tearing out the furnace. The violent intrusion capped a summer filled with frequent bear sightings on her land, prompting repeated warnings from Munro and her husband to local conservation officers. They feared that without intervention, the aggressive bear activity would lead to tragedy.
A Community Shattered by School Attack
Tragically, their fears were realized. On November 20, a female grizzly bear with two cubs attacked a group of teachers and approximately 20 children from a nearby school. The assault left 11 people injured, including three students, two of whom were critically hurt.
"I’m sure the whole school is just shocked, not to mention all the little children who were not personally attacked, but saw their friends attacked," Munro told the National Post. "Absolutely terrifying. It’ll have changed their lives forever, no question."
In the wake of the incident, the local Nuxalk First Nation advised residents to avoid walking and organized ride-share services for community safety.
Growing Tensions in Bear Country
The attacks have ignited a urgent conversation about human-wildlife conflict in the region. British Columbia is home to an estimated 13,000 grizzly bears. The density in the 4 Mile subdivision of the Nuxalk Nation, where the school attack occurred, is considered high, with roughly 22 bears per 1,000 square kilometres.
The B.C. Wildlife Federation has pointed to a rise in bear conflicts since the province banned trophy hunting for grizzlies in 2017. Over the past year, Bella Coola has seen multiple reports of bears breaking into homes, and schoolchildren have missed recess or required RCMP supervision to board buses due to bear threats.
Munro believes the situation demands a serious, broader discussion on solutions, noting that perspectives shift when bears are in residential areas rather than remote wilderness. "We wouldn’t be talking about that if they were in a city, if they were in Victoria or Vancouver or Calgary or wherever," she said.
The community remains shaken, grappling with the aftermath of the attacks and searching for a path forward that ensures both human safety and respect for the iconic wildlife that shares their home in the Bella Coola Valley.
