Multiple bears may have attacked mother and daughter found dead in Canada

It is “not yet clear if more than one bear was involved”, according to officials.

More than one grizzly may have been involved in a bear attack that relatives say left a mother and daughter dead in Canada Picture: iStock

More than one grizzly may have been involved in a bear attack that relatives say left a mother and daughter dead in Canada, the Conservation Officer Service in British Columbia said.

The service’s Inspector Jeff Tyre said in a video message that the second body had been found in a search by Royal Canadian Mounted Police and conservation officers on Tuesday afternoon that followed the discovery of the first set of remains a day earlier.

He said it is “not yet clear if more than one bear was involved”, and any bears captured in the area will be assessed.

Family members of art therapist Jenny Balcarras and her daughter, Selah Reed, had reported them missing on Sunday.

Ms Balcarras’ brother, Matthew Balcarras, said on Wednesday that his sister was “incredibly strong” and had lived in many difficult, remote places, including Alaska, before moving to Bella Coola on British Columbia’s central coast a few months ago.

“She was a beautiful artist and was an inspiration for me and my brothers,” Mr Balcarras said of his sister.

Authorities have imposed a curfew on the community, about 1,000 kilometres north of Vancouver, as the search for the animal or animals behind the attack continues.

If the “offending bear” is captured it will be killed to protect public safety, Mr Tyre said.

A fundraiser set up by relative Mary Melissa Smith said Ms Reed was 20, “with her whole life ahead of her”, while Ms Balcarras leaves behind three young adult children, as well as a grandchild.

The Central Coast Teachers’ Association said on social media that Ms Balcarras had joined their school community as a counsellor in August, and she devoted “countless hours to connecting with the students she served and worked closely with teachers and other staff supporting their wellbeing”.

The attack comes nearly a year after a grizzly attack on a group of 20 school students and teachers in the same area, which left one adult and three children badly hurt.

The animal involved in that attack last November was never captured.