While gathering huckleberries, a 72-year-old man from Montana was assaulted by a female grizzly bear, forcing him to fire and kill her with a revolver.
The bear charged and attacked the unnamed Columbia Falls resident on Thursday when he was in the Flathead National Forest in northwest Montana close to North Fork Road, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials said on Friday.
Although the man is in the hospital, nothing is known about his health.
In order to determine whether the man unintentionally got in the way of the mother grizzly and any bear cubs, game wardens in Montana and bear experts in the area are looking into the bear assault.
The man used a handgun of an unknown caliber to kill the bear, which the investigators determined was the result of a surprise attack.
An adult female grizzly bear that had become accustomed to stealing food from people and breaking into residences in and around Gardiner, which has a population of roughly 800 and is situated directly north of Yellowstone National Park, was shot and killed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks personnel earlier on Thursday.
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About 300 miles separated that occurrence from the grizzly bear attack in Columbia Falls. Bears are frequently drawn to garbage, grills, and pet food, which can result in deadly interactions.
Grizzly bears that cause trouble are frequently caught and transferred by Montana wildlife management, but those that attack people or cause trouble even after they have been moved will be shot.
Although grizzlies are listed as a vulnerable species under the Endangered Species Act, many Rocky Mountain state authorities want the bears’ protected status to be lifted.
License-holder grizzly bear hunts would be able to better control local populations if the bears were taken out of protection.
