The hunt is on for a grizzly bear who killed a woman after pulling her out from her tent while she was camping.
Leah Davis Lokan, a nurse was taking part in a long-distance bicycling trip and had stopped in Ovando, in the US state of Montana, on Monday before she was fatally attacked, wildlife officials said.
The bear pulled her out of the tent late on Tuesday night and killed her before fellow campers could use bear spray to force it out of the area, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said.
Lokan, 65, was mauled to death on the bear’s second trip to their camping site.
She and two of her fellow cyclists were awakened by the 400-pound bear around 3am.
They removed the food from their tent and secured it before going back to sleep.
Powell County Sheriff's Office said around 4.15am the sheriff’s office received a 911 call informing them about the attack.
Officials are probing the circumstances surrounding the attack and have launched a helicopter search to find the bear.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said the animal will be killed if found.
DNA samples collected from the attack site will be compared to any bear captured.
Ovando is approximately 74 miles northwest of Helena, the capital of Montana and has a population of 71 people, according to the 2000 census.
North of Ovando lies a vast stretch of woodland and mountains including Glacier National Park extending into Canada.
The region is home to over 1,000 grizzly bears.
Such fatal attacks in the region are rare and there have been only three such attacks recorded in the past 20 years, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The campsite in Ovando has been closed until at least Sunday following the attack, with officials urging people to be cautious, the Powell County Sheriff’s Office said.
