Montana Grizzly Bear Drags Woman from Tent, Kills Her

A grizzly bear pulled a woman out of her tent in Montana and killed her before other campers could discharge bear spray, officials said Wednesday.

Sixty-five-year-old Leah Davis Lokan of Chico, California, who was on a bicycling trip and had stopped in Ovando, was killed Tuesday, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The incident occurred on the bear’s second visit to the site where the woman and two other bicyclists had set up camp near the post office, officials noted.

The report continued:

The approximately 400-pound (181 kilogram) grizzly first awakened the campers about 3 a.m., officials said. They took food out of their tents, secured it and went back to sleep, they said. Surveillance video from a business in town showed the bear about a block from the post office about 15 minutes later, wildlife officials said.

About 4:15 a.m., the sheriff’s office received a 911 call after two people in a tent near the victim’s [sic] were awakened by sounds of the attack, Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles said. They discharged their bear spray, and the bear ran away.

A bear also broke into a chicken coop, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a press release, adding grizzly bears are common in the area.

Officials used a helicopter to look for the grizzly on Wednesday but were unable to locate it.

“At this point, our best chance for catching this bear will be culvert traps set in the area near the chicken coop where the bear killed and ate several chickens,” Randy Arnold, the agency’s regional supervisor in Missoula explained.

Video footage showed the helicopter searching and what appeared to be the campgrounds in Ovando:

The bear will be put down if it is located, Greg Lemon, a spokesperson for the agency, told the AP.

“Bears that attack people are not always killed if the mauling resulted from a surprise encounter or the bear was defending its young,” the article read.

However, the bear involved in the recent death is considered a public safety threat due to the circumstances, according to Lemon.