Grizzly bear attacks, kills camper in western Montana

HELENA Mont. (AP) — A grizzly bear attacked and killed a person who was camping in western Montana early Tuesday, after previously wandering into the campsite, the Powell County sheriff said.

The attack happened between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. in the area of Ovando, a town of fewer than 100 people about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Helena, said Greg Lemon, a spokesperson with Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.

“There was an earlier contact with the bear prior to the event,” Sheriff Gavin Roselles said. “The bear basically came back into the campsite. It wandered into a campsite a couple different times.”

A team of law enforcement and wildlife specialists has been assembled to track down the bear, officials said.

An initial report said the victim had been riding a bicycle at the time of the attack. That is not the case, Roselles said.

The identity of the victim was not immediately released and further circumstances surrounding the attack were under investigation.

“Our first concern is the community's well-being. The next step is to find the bear," Lemon said.

Officials did not say exactly where the attack occurred, but Roselles said there were other people camping in the vicinity of the attack.

Lemon said his understanding is that the victim was part of a group on a bike trip.

Leigh Ann Valiton, who owns the Blackfoot Inn and a general store, said the people of Ovando were “absolutely devastated” by the fatal attack.

Grizzly bears have been getting into increasing conflicts with humans in the Northern Rockies as the federally protected animals expand into new areas and the number of people living and recreating in the region grows.

In April, a backcountry guide was killed by a grizzly bear while fishing along the Yellowstone National Park border in southwestern...