On Sunday night time, a black bear mauled a three-year-old toddler who was sleeping inside her household’s tent at a campground in Montana, in response to stories from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) and The Related Press. The kid is within the hospital, and there’s presently no replace on her situation.
The non-public campground the place the incident passed off is close to Purple Lodge, Montana, which is north of Yellowstone Nationwide Park. Authorities say they evacuated the campground after the assault. FWP workers then set traps and snares to seize the bear that mauled the toddler, which they caught and euthanized on Monday.
“FWP discovered unsecured attractants, together with rubbish, a cooler, and human meals, round and contained in the tent the place the assault occurred,” the company mentioned in a press launch.
In keeping with FWP, the black bear concerned within the assault had no historical past of conflicts. “Nonetheless, the bear had seemingly grow to be food-conditioned and human-habituated after accessing unsecured attractants within the space,” the company mentioned.
Be Bear Conscious
“Individuals needs to be ready to come across grizzly or black bears in Montana,” FWP says. “Avoiding conflicts with bears is less complicated than coping with conflicts.”
Listed below are some suggestions from Montana FWP for being bear protected whereas tenting:
- Preserve meals and something with a scent out of tents.
- Correctly retailer unattended meals. Choices embody bear containers, hard-sided automobiles (for short-term storage), and IGBC-certified bear-resistant containers.
- Eliminate rubbish in bear-resistant bins.
