A kind Grizzly Authorities said a cyclist was dragged out of her tent in the middle of the night, and she was killed in a small town in Montana earlier on Tuesday before the animal fled into the wilderness.
The attack occurred at around 3:30 am on July 6 in the small community of Ovando. statement From Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP). According to reports, the identity of the victim is 65-year-old Leah Davis Lokan, from Chico, California. CBS News. This bear is believed to be a 400-pound male grizzly bear and has not yet been found.
Officials said Rokan and some friends stopped to camp overnight in Obando, a small town with a population of less than 100 people, on the southern edge of a vast wilderness during a long bicycle trip.
Rokan slept in a tent, and a couple slept in another tent nearby.
According to FWP officials, the bear wandered around the camp and awakened the trio at around 3 am. Proximity calls prompt campers to remove all food from the tent before going back to sleep.
At 3:15 in the morning, surveillance video captured a video of the bear outside a nearby business, shortly before it returned to the camp for the second time.
Officials said the couple in the second tent was awakened by the sound of the attack and rushed out to see the animal biting Rocan. They said that the bear “drew the victim out of the tent in the fatal attack”.
The couple used bear spray to chase away the grizzlies and then called 911.
Soon after, first responders announced that Lokan was dead at the scene.
Wildlife officials used ground crews, helicopters and traps to conduct a full search in an attempt to find and kill the bear. The search results are empty, but the authorities have saved some bear DNA, hoping to identify it in the future.
They said that on the night of the attack, the animal broke into a chicken coop and ate a few birds. The authorities set up several traps around the chicken coop to prevent animals from returning.
Greg Lemon, spokesperson for the Montana FWP, said: “Our best chance is if the bear comes back and tries to buy another chicken or more food in town.” “Our guard, They think they can easily identify the bear they saw on the (surveillance video). If they saw the bear in the trap and clearly saw it, they might choose to do so.”
According to her friend Mary Flowers, Rokan is a registered nurse and worked in a hospital in Chico. Flowers said that the victim has ridden several long-distance bicycles over the years, and she is looking forward to this trip because her sister will come to ride the bicycle.
“She likes this kind of adventure. A woman in her 60s, she is doing this kind of thing,” Flowers told the Associated Press. “She has an unusual passion for life.”
Grizzlies are protected by the Endangered Species Act of the United States. Under these protections in Montana, the number of grizzly bears has increased significantly. It is estimated that an estimated 1,000 bears live in the wilderness north of Owando, which extends to the border between Alberta and British Columbia.
The locals in Owando said that they are used to living with bears and they know to be careful, but many people are frightened by the attack.
“Everyone is shocked now. The population here is 75 people-everyone knows everyone,” Salon owner Tiffany Zarallelli told CBS. “People from Montana, we know how to’understand the bear market’. But anything can happen.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated that fatal bear attacks are rare in the area, with only three recorded cases in the past 20 years. This includes the attack on Rokan.
Lemon stated that FWP will only kill bears that pose a threat to public safety, and officials will not hunt down bears that attack when they are frightened or protect their cubs.
He added that campers should remain vigilant after the bear visits, even if it has gone far.
“You have prepared food, stay awake, stay alert and be prepared,” he said.
“Bear spray is very important. They did it, but we don’t know if the victim did it.”
—File from the Associated Press
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