Woman killed by grizzly bear at campsite

LOS ANGELES: JULY 8 – Authorities in the western U.S. state of Montana on Wednesday disclosed details of a fatal bear attack in which a woman was pulled from her tent and killed by a grizzly bear early Tuesday.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a release that details surrounding the attack indicate the bear entered the town of Ovando on Tuesday morning and came to an area near a post office at about 3 a.m. local time (1000 GMT), where the victim was sleeping in a tent.

The bear initially woke the victim and another couple who were sleeping in a tent nearby but then ran away. The three campers removed food from their tents, secured it, and went back to bed. About half an hour later, the two people in the tent adjacent to the victim were awakened by sounds of the attack, exited the tent, and sprayed the bear with bear spray. It has not been seen since, according to the agency.

After two days of searching by helicopter and on the ground, the grizzly bear has not been found, said the agency, adding that the search even included the use of infrared technology.

Bear experts believe the bear was an approximately 400-pound (181 kg) male, judging by behavior and footprints.

Officials said efforts to find the bear are now focusing on traps near Ovando as bear specialists and wardens are continuing to monitor culvert traps set in the area.

The victim of the attack was identified as 65-year-old Leah Davis Lokan of California, reported The Great Falls Tribune, a Montana newspaper.

Montana has been the scene of at least a dozen serious grizzly bear-human interactions in the past year, said paper.

-XINHUA