After a black bear mauled a three-year-old girl close to Yellowstone National Park on Sunday, authorities in Montana decided to put the bear to death.
At a private campground south of Red Lodge, Montana, the incident occurred at around ten o’clock at night. The infant was transported approximately sixty-two kilometers to a hospital in Billings.
On Sunday night, officials from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) set up a trap at the campsite, and they collaborated with the owner to get everyone out by Monday morning. After the campground was cleared out completely, further traps and snares were set.
According to a news release, the bear was shot and killed after being apprehended by officials on August 12 in the afternoon.
There was food, a cooler, and garbage outside and inside the tent where the attack happened.
The female bear had no prior history of fighting; instead, it was probably food-conditioned and human-habituted, which means it had grown accustomed to humans and started going back to places where they were and food were present—places that would often frighten bears away.
Although they rarely attack people, black bears can turn hostile when they feel threatened. In 2023, a black bear killed a California woman who was found dead in her home; it was the state’s first known bear attack.
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This year, after letting her dog outside, a black bear severely attacked a woman from western Pennsylvania. The FWP stated that it believes the bear that was killed was the one that was engaged in the attack since evidence found at the scene matched the bear’s physical traits.
According to officials, tourists should expect to see black or grizzly bears when visiting Montana.
People should take preventative measures include keeping food and odor-producing items out of tents, disposing of trash in bear-restraint bins or in another appropriate location, and adhering to local and management agency guidelines for food storage.
