Four grizzly bears have been killed in connection with a fatal attack on a mother and daughter in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20, died earlier this month after going on an afternoon walk in a trail area in Bella Coola.
The British Columbia Conservation Office Service (BCCOS) launched an investigation into their deaths and forensic testing has since confirmed a sow and her three cubs were responsible for the attack.
All four were destroyed "in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines" to protect the public, BCCOS Inspector Jeff Tyre said in an update on Tuesday.
Mother and daughter die after suspected grizzly bear attack in Canada
"Evidence from the investigation as well as animal DNA was analysed and conclusively linked to a sow and its three offspring," he added.
The attack "likely involved predatory behaviour", which Tyre said was "very rare".
He added that more than a dozen conservation officers took part in the investigation over the past week, amid "difficult terrain and weather".
Balcarras and Reed were "two peas in a pod" who "got along really, really well" and shared many hobbies, Balcarras' brother, Josh, told CBC.
"When Jenny hiked, Selah was right there beside her," he said.
