A grizzly bear attacked and killed a person who was camping in western Montana early Tuesday, after previously wandering into the area where the person was camping.
ABC News reports the attack happened between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. in Ovando, a town of fewer than 100 people about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Helena.
“There was an earlier contact with the bear prior to the event. The bear basically came back into the campsite. It wandered into a campsite a couple different times.” –Sheriff Gavin Roselles
A team of law enforcement and wildlife specialists has been deployed to track down the bear. Initial reports say the victim was part of a group on a bike trip. The identity of the victim was not immediately released and further circumstances surrounding the attack were under investigation.
Officials did not say exactly where the attack occurred, but there were other people camping in the vicinity of the attack. A video camera from an Ovando business caught footage of a grizzly bear Monday night, wildlife officials said. A bear also got into a chicken coop.
Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends.