Black Bear Attacks 3-Year-Old Girl in Maple Ridge; Search Ongoing

Black Bear Attacks 3-Year-Old Girl in Maple Ridge; Search Ongoing

A three-year-old girl is recovering in hospital after being attacked by a black bear on the back deck of her family home in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, on Sunday morning. The bear remains at large, and the B.C. Conservation Officer Service has deployed a significant number of officers to track the animal in the suburban neighbourhood near the urban-wildland interface.

Anaiyah Lekei, 3, was playing on the patio of her family’s residence in the 12300 block of 240 Street shortly before 11:30 a.m. PT on Aug. 9, 2026, when an adult black bear approached and attacked her without warning. Her parents intervened, and her father ultimately drove the bear off with a compound bow, but not before the child sustained serious wounds to her head, neck and back.

The Attack: A Father’s Desperate Intervention

Andrea Lekei, the girl’s mother, described the terrifying sequence of events in an interview with Global News. She said her daughter was playing on the deck when the bear suddenly appeared and attacked. “Suddenly, she started screaming just the blood-curdling scream,” Lekei recalled. The mother’s account paints a harrowing picture of a parent’s worst nightmare unfolding in a matter of seconds.

Lekei’s husband, who was closer to the patio, reached the scene first. “He was able to get the bear off of her,” she said. “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.” The father then retrieved a compound bow from the garage and shot the bear, striking it between the eyes. The animal fled into the surrounding bush.

While the father fought the bear, Lekei and the girl’s grandmother worked to stem the bleeding with towels. Anaiyah suffered lacerations and puncture wounds to her back, neck and head. Given her age, she was airlifted by air ambulance to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver “out of an abundance of caution,” according to Maple Ridge RCMP. Police described her injuries as “non-life-altering,” and she underwent surgery. The family has indicated she is expected to make a full recovery, and a GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist with expenses during her hospitalisation.

The Response: A Tragic Case of Mistaken Identity

The immediate aftermath of the attack was chaotic. Approximately 30 minutes after the mauling, RCMP officers shot and killed a black bear in a neighbour’s yard near 240 Street and 123 Avenue. At the time, it seemed plausible that officers had neutralised the threat. However, a necropsy completed on Monday confirmed that the bear shot by police was not the animal responsible for the attack on Anaiyah.

RCMP said the bear they killed had shown a “high degree of interest” in the area, returning several times while officers were on site. Officers encountered the animal around noon and made the decision to shoot it “to protect public safety,” stating at the time that “the bear had showed signs of aggression and already attacked a small child.” The decision, while understandable given the circumstances, has complicated the ongoing search, as the true offending bear remains unaccounted for.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service has since taken over the investigation, deploying its predator attack team to the area. Conservation Officer Jordan Ferguson confirmed that a substantial number of officers are involved in the search. “We do have a majority of the officers that are stationed in Lower Mainland here dealing with this right now,” Ferguson said. “So, there is a lot of manpower out there to try to get this dealt with.”

Ferguson was clear about the likely outcome for the bear if it is located. “When bears exhibit this aggressive behavior and when someone is injured, that is usually the outcome, the bear is destroyed,” he said. He noted that trapping and relocating the animal is not a viable option in a case involving an attack on a person. Regarding the father’s actions, Ferguson offered a measured perspective: “He was acting as a dad, right? I think any parent put in that situation, your adrenaline goes up, and you just kind of act.”

Canadian Context: Bear-Human Conflict at the Urban Edge

This attack underscores the persistent challenge of managing bear-human conflict in British Columbia, where communities like Maple Ridge sit directly at the urban-wildland interface. The Lower Mainland is home to a robust black bear population, and encounters are not uncommon. WildSafeBC, a provincial program dedicated to reducing human-wildlife conflict, notes that black bears account for roughly 14,000 to 25,000 calls per year to the Conservation Officer Service across the province.

Maple Ridge has an active WildSafeBC program and runs seasonal bear-safety campaigns encouraging residents to manage attractants such as garbage, fruit trees, bird feeders and pet food. Under B.C. law, residents are required to secure wildlife attractants, and conservation officers can issue tickets for non-compliance. Despite these efforts, bears frequently wander into residential areas, particularly during late summer when natural food sources become scarce and bears enter a phase of intense feeding known as hyperphagia.

The fact that this bear climbed onto a deck and attacked a child is highly unusual behaviour, according to wildlife experts. Black bears typically avoid human contact, and attacks are rare. However, when they do occur, they often involve food-conditioned animals that have lost their natural fear of people. The Conservation Officer Service will likely examine whether attractants were present in the immediate area as part of their investigation, though no such findings have been released to date.

Impact on the Community: Fear and Vigilance

Residents of the 240 Street and 123 Avenue area are on edge following the attack. The neighbourhood, characterised by large lots and proximity to forested green space, is home to a number of bears, some of which have cubs. One neighbour told reporters that the bears “don’t bother us. They are easily shooed away,” adding, “They’ve never, ever, come that close to our house and up onto our patio.” Others described the situation as “quite concerning” and “absolutely terrifying.”

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is advising residents in the immediate area to stay alert, remain indoors where possible, and avoid the area entirely while the search continues. Officers are conducting ground searches and have set up monitoring in the hopes of locating the bear. The public is being urged to report all bear sightings to the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277, the provincial RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line.

For families with young children, the attack has raised anxieties about outdoor play in a region where wilderness is never far away. Local officials are reminding residents to secure garbage, pick fruit promptly, and remove bird feeders—simple measures that can reduce the likelihood of attracting bears onto residential properties. The city of Maple Ridge has also reiterated its commitment to bear-safety education, though the immediate focus remains on locating the offending animal.

What Happens Next: Search Continues, Family Focuses on Recovery

As of Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, the search for the bear was still ongoing. Conservation officers have not located the animal, and there is no timeline for when the search might conclude. The bear, which was struck by an arrow between the eyes, may be injured, which could affect its behaviour and movement patterns. Officers are likely to continue tracking it using a combination of ground patrols, trail cameras and reports from the public.

Meanwhile, Anaiyah Lekei remains at BC Children’s Hospital, where she is recovering from surgery. Her family has expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community, and the GoFundMe campaign has raised funds to help cover medical and related expenses. The family has asked for privacy during this difficult time, but has shared updates indicating that Anaiyah is expected to make a full recovery.

The incident serves as a stark reminder of the realities of living in bear country. While attacks are rare, they can happen, and the consequences can be severe. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service has urged the public to remain vigilant and to report any bear sightings immediately. For now, the community waits, hoping that the offending bear is found quickly and that no further incidents occur.

Tags: black bear attack, Maple Ridge, B.C. Conservation Officer Service, Anaiyah Lekei, Andrea Lekei, bear mauling, 240 Street, RCMP, BC Children's Hospital, bear search, urban wildlife, WildSafeBC, RAPP line, bear safety, Lower Mainland, wildlife conflict

By Alex Thompson, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Reporting is based on sources cited in the article.