A grizzly bear that pulled a camper from her tent and fatally attacked her in Ovando, Montana, has been shot and killed, state wildlife authorities claim.
The bear killed Leah Davis Lokan, a 65-year-old resident of Chico, California, Tuesday morning, spokesman for Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Greg Lemon claimed, according to NBC News. Wildlife authorities were able to shoot and kill the bear around midnight Friday when the bear approached a trap set near a chicken coup, NBC News reported.
“Based on the size of the bear, the color of the bear and the nature of the chicken coop raids, we’re confident we’ve got the offending bear,” Lemon claimed, NBC News noted.
After the attack, law enforcement personnel and wildlife specialists were tasked with tracking down the bear, but it remained uncertain whether or not authorities would put the bear down. If the bear had remained a threat to public safety, authorities would have decided best to kill the bear, The Associated Press reported previously. But, in cases where bears attack but do not kill people, or are believed to be protecting their young, the bear is sometimes not killed, the AP noted. (RELATED: Man Forced To Undergo Surgery After Bear With Her Cubs Attacks Him In His Garage)
Prior to authorities killing the bear, it raided the same chicken coup Wednesday night, according to NBC News, which led to wildlife workers setting a trap for the bear near the coup. Hours before the bear’s death, a woman found large claw marks and her door ripped off, a post from Powell County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook read.
Investigators are now comparing bear DNA samples collected from the scene of Lokan’s death to the DNA of the bear that was shot and killed early Friday morning to confirm it was the correct bear, according to the sheriff’s statement. The results, according to NBC News, could be available in the next three days.
Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles said until the DNA match is confirmed, the outdoor campsites in Ovando, Montana, would remain closed, according to NBC News.