Bear Shot in Maple Ridge Confirmed as Attacker of Young Girl

Conservation officers have confirmed that the bear shot and killed in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, was indeed responsible for a recent attack on a three-year-old girl. This confirmation came after initial reports suggested the dispatched bear might not have been the perpetrator.

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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.

Sgt. Jeremy Pauls stated on Facebook that "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." He added that "No other bears were dispatched in connection to this incident."

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No other bears were dispatched in connection to this incident.

The young girl was attacked on the back deck of her home on Sunday, August 9th. Her mother, Andrea Lekei, recounted the terrifying moments when her daughter began screaming. Her husband rushed to the patio, managing to pull the bear off the child. The girl was reportedly being mauled and was about to be bitten again when her father intervened.

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Suddenly, she started screaming just the blood-curdling scream and my husband was able to get to the patio first.

Anaiyah Lekei required surgery for multiple claw and bite wounds to her head, neck, and back. While her mother and grandmother worked to control the bleeding, her father scared the bear away and subsequently shot it with a bow and arrow. The bear was killed in a neighbor's yard about 30 minutes after the attack. The B.C. Conservation Service stated that the bear dispatched was the correct one responsible for the mauling.

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He was able to get the bear off of her. She was under the bear and the bear had already attacked and was mauling her and was about to go down for another bite and he was able to get the bear off of her.