Grizzly Bear Suspected in Fatal Attack in Montana Is Killed

U.S.|Officials Kill Grizzly Bear Suspected successful Fatal Attack of Woman successful Montana

Wildlife officials changeable and killed a grizzly carnivore successful Montana connected Friday that was believed to person been progressive successful the fatal onslaught of a California pistillate this week.

The antheral carnivore was changeable by national wildlife workers soon aft midnight aft it approached a carnivore trap acceptable up adjacent a chickenhearted coop successful Ovando, Mont., 2 miles from wherever the woman, Leah Davis, was killed aboriginal connected Tuesday morning aft she was pulled from her tent.

Officials said the carnivore progressive successful the fatal onslaught connected Tuesday and the carnivore killed Friday were some grizzlies but it was not yet confirmed that the carnivore killed connected Friday was the aforesaid 1 that attacked Ms. Davis, who was from Chico, Calif.

A carnivore had been raiding chickenhearted coops since the fatal attack, officials said, and they had acceptable a trap successful hopes of luring the carnivore whenever it returned to Ovando, which is astir 75 miles northwest of Helena.

Greg Lemon, a communications and acquisition head with Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, said specialists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services were monitoring the trap connected Thursday nighttime erstwhile a carnivore approached it and was shot.

Montana wildlife officials judge the carnivore killed was the aforesaid grizzly that attacked Ms. Davis fixed the proximity to Tuesday’s attack, grounds recovered astatine some scenes and a signifier of chickenhearted coop raiding.

DNA tests connected the grizzly recovered by the coop and grounds from the country of the fatal onslaught volition not beryllium disposable until adjacent week, Mr. Lemon said. Wildlife officials volition besides not cognize the bear’s size and value pending the results of a necropsy.

Until it is known whether it is the aforesaid bear, Sheriff Gavin Roselles of Powell County said outdoor campsites successful Ovando would stay closed.

Grizzlies are communal successful the area, but they are not known for fatally attacking people. Mr. Lemon said helium did not cognize what prompted the onslaught oregon the raids connected the coop but said helium was disquieted astir the grizzly’s behavior.

He said that it was precise apt that the grizzly began associating humans and populated areas with nutrient and security, prompting it to hunt areas wherever radical gathered.

“That behavior, that’s not acceptable,” Mr. Lemon said. “It went different measurement further successful that it was noseying astir people’s tents. It wasn’t frightened distant from the beingness of people, which is besides troubling behaviour for a bear. It’s surely not normal.”

The onslaught connected Tuesday was the latest of respective carnivore attacks successful Montana.

In April, a backcountry guide, Charles Mock, died from injuries aft helium was mauled by a grizzly bear adjacent a campground extracurricular West Yellowstone. A antheral carnivore was shot and killed aft it charged astatine workers investigating the attack.

But fatal carnivore attacks thin to beryllium comparatively rare, Mr. Lemon, said.

“We person thousands of radical who travel spot the grandeur of the state, particularly our nationalist parks, and astir of them person nary problems astatine all,” helium said.

Since Yellowstone National Park was established successful 1872, eight radical person been killed by bears successful the park, which includes parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

“It’s hard for radical to person that position with quality similar this,” Mr. Lemon said.