A man kills a grizzly bear in Montana after it attacks while he is picking berries

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A 72-year-old man selecting huckleberries in Montana shot and killed a grizzly bear after it attacked in a shock encounter and injured him badly sufficient that he needed to be hospitalized, authorities stated Friday.

The person was alone on nationwide forest land when the grownup feminine charged him Thursday. He suffered important accidents earlier than killing the bear with a handgun, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officers stated.

The bear was possible reacting defensively to guard cubs, company spokesperson Dillon Tabish stated.

Wildlife employees set out recreation cameras within the space to attempt to affirm the presence of any cubs. If cubs are discovered, it’s unsure if they might be captured as a result of it’s troublesome to seek out amenities certified to take them, he stated.

“Relying on the age, we would depart them within the wild as a result of they’ve a greater probability of survival, somewhat than need to euthanize them,” Tabish stated.

The assault occurred on the Flathead Nationwide Forest about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) north of Columbia Falls, a northwestern Montana metropolis of about 5,500 individuals, in accordance with the state wildlife company.

The sufferer’s title and additional particulars on his situation weren’t launched.

In the meantime, Fish, Wildlife & Parks employees shot and killed an grownup feminine grizzly Thursday after it had develop into accustomed to in search of out meals from individuals and breaking into homes in and round Gardiner, a city of about 800 individuals simply north of Yellowstone Nationwide Park.

Pet meals, rubbish and barbeque grills left exterior and accessible to bears contributed to the issue, in accordance with a division assertion. No individuals had been damage by the bear earlier than it was shot within the Yellowstone River.

Wildlife managers generally seize and transfer grizzly bears which can be recognized to trigger issues for individuals. However they are going to kill ones concerned in predatory assaults on individuals or if they’re deemed more likely to preserve inflicting issues no matter being moved.

The Gardiner-area grizzly was killed about 300 miles (500 kilometers) south of the unrelated assault within the Columbia Falls space. An estimated 2,000 grizzlies roam western Wyoming, japanese Idaho, western Montana, whereas a number of thousand extra inhabit the Canadian Rockies and Alaska.

Grizzly bears within the contiguous U.S. are listed as threatened beneath the Endangered Species Act. Elected officers in Rocky Mountain states are urgent federal officers to elevate their protected standing, which might open the door to future looking.

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Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming.