B.C. bears were mysteriously missing toes. These scientists cracked the case.

Clayton Lamb didn’t think much of the missing toe at first.

The B.C. biologist was moving a snoozing bear with conservation officers in Fernie. A tourist from Australia stood nearby, snapping photos of the hulking grizzly.

The team had tranquilized the animal to haul it away from a manicured lawn when Lamb saw it: A piece of its paw was gone.

Grizzlies lead rough lives, brawling and biting one another.

“So the missing toe of one bear wasn’t necessarily a red flag for us,” Lamb said.