In Montana, a bear dragged a woman out of a tent and killed her

Last summer, a 215kg grizzly bear dragged a woman, Leah Davis Locan, 65, from her tent and killed her near Owando, Montana, in a "predatory attack," wildlife authorities said. TheGuardian.

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Officials who shot the bear a few days later determined that the attack was likely aided by food in and around the victim's tent.

Leah Davis Lokan, 65, from California, and her sister went on a bike ride with a friend when they arrived in Owando on July 5, 2021. Lokan decided to camp next to two people they met on a multi-day trip, identified as Kim and Joe Cole.

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According to a report from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, at around 3:08 a.m. local time on July 6, 2021, the bear explored the area. Lokan realized what was happening and screamed "Bear, bear", waking the Coles. They came out of the tent and made a noise.

Joe Cole had bear spray but didn't use it. Lokan, who told her companions, "The bear breathed into my head," moved the food from her tent to the one next to it.

The Coles asked Locan if she wanted to stay at the hotel, but she replied that she wanted to stay in her tent. Lokan took a can of spray and everyone went to bed.

Around 4:05 am, Joe Cole woke up again when he realized that Lokan had been attacked by a bear. Cole yelled, "Bear, bear." He yelled with a "roaring voice" using bear spray as he stepped out of his tent. Kim Cole started whistling. The bear was on the other side of Lokan's tent, "pounding up and down" on her and the tent.

“The bear made eye contact with Joe, then turned his head away as they got closer, turned and walked away,” the report says. “The back of the tent was still standing, but when they approached, they saw that Lokan and the tent had been dragged by the bear about 5 meters, and Lokan was half out of the tent and out of the sleeping bag” and looked dead.

Rescuers attempted to revive Lokan, but found no "obvious signs of life".

The report states that Lokan suffered "serious lacerations to her head, neck, shoulders and back". However, "the bear did not feed on the victim."

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The bear broke into the nearest chicken coop. Authorities then tracked the bear for several days, during which it attacked another chicken coop, where it returned around 12:00 on July 9.

Wildlife agents shot and killed "a large grizzly bear as it was actively destroying" a chicken coop. Agents stuffed the bear's paws and head into pillowcases, wrapped the body in a "large tarp" and took it for forensic examination, including DNA testing, to determine if the bear was responsible for Locan's death.

The bear was then taken to the Custom Bird Works Taxidermy in Missoula, Montana, "where the pelt and skull were rescued," the report says, adding, "Later that day, the carcass was taken to a composting facility."

The report concludes: "This unfortunate incident appears to have been a predatory attack by a bear accustomed to food."

The National Park Service describes behavioral eating disorder bears as "those who have sought and received unnatural food, destroyed property, or engaged in aggressive behavior towards humans."

The report stated that "Predatory attacks are rare, and we don't know exactly how, why, or when the predatory instinct arose."

Officials said "the food and toiletries in and near the tent, and the smell of food left over from the 4th of July picnic celebration before the incident, likely contributed to the attack on Lokan."

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