A 3-year-old girl in Maple Ridge, B.C., was airlifted to hospital after an adult black bear attacked her on a back deck. Responding officers shot and struck the bear, which fled and has not been recovered; necropsy of a different dead bear confirmed the wounded animal remains at large. Conservation officers and a predator attack team are searching the area, neighbours have been advised to stay indoors, and warning signs are being posted. Maple Ridge enforces a Wildlife and Vector Control Bylaw to limit human-bear conflicts, and provincial records note hundreds of black bears are killed annually for public safety.
3-Year-Old Airlifted After Black Bear Attack in Maple Ridge; Wounded Bear Still At Large
black bear walks through the woods
A 3-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital after being attacked by an adult black bear on a back deck at a home in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, on Sunday morning. A parent chased the animal away, but responding officers witnessed continued aggressive behaviour from the bear.
What Happened
In a late Sunday release, the Maple Ridge Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the bear "returned to the residence and the immediate area multiple times, showing a high degree of interest in the location." Officers fired a weapon "in an effort to protect public safety in the immediate area." The bear was struck but fled into nearby woods and has not been recovered.
Authorities examined a different bear that had been found dead elsewhere in the area; necropsy results confirmed that the dead animal was not involved in the attack, meaning the wounded bear remains at large. Neighbours were advised to stay indoors while officers and conservation teams continue searching.
Victim, Response and Public Safety
Police described the child's injuries as non-life-altering. She was airlifted to hospital for treatment. The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) has deployed a predator attack team to assist local officers in tracking the injured animal.
"Officers have confirmed there is no ongoing threat to other backcountry users," the BCCOS said, adding that warning signage was being installed in affected areas.
Context
Black bear sightings are common in Maple Ridge because the municipality sits close to forested habitat. Maple Ridge, home to roughly 100,000 residents and located less than an hour from Vancouver, enforces a Wildlife and Vector Control Bylaw designed to reduce human-bear conflicts. The bylaw requires measures such as not leaving garbage cans out before 5 a.m., harvesting fruit trees promptly, and keeping beehives inaccessible to bears. Fines for bylaw breaches range from $100 to $500 per day.
The provincial black bear population is estimated at 120,000–160,000 animals, about one-quarter of Canada's black bears, but that figure is based on 2001 data. Indigenous groups and conservation organizations have urged updated research, noting that development and loss of old-growth forest may be affecting populations.
The provincial government records known black bear deaths annually. In 2025, British Columbia reported 240 black bears killed or euthanized (excluding hunting), a 15-year low; 178 of those were put down by conservation officers for public safety reasons. By comparison, conservation officers had killed 73 black bears for public safety reasons in the first half of 2026.
Related Incident
The Vancouver Sun reports that another predator attack team investigated a separate encounter near Pemberton, about three hours from Maple Ridge. A male hiker sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a surprise encounter with a grizzly; investigators determined it was not a prolonged threat and elected not to track that animal. Warning signage was installed in that area as well.
Advice: Residents in affected neighbourhoods should follow instructions from local authorities, keep children and pets indoors, secure attractants such as garbage and fruit, and report any further sightings to the RCMP or BCCOS.
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