Child hospitalized after bear attacked her tent in Montana

A black bear attacked a child inside a tent in Montana on Aug. 11, according to state wildlife officials.

In a statement released on Aug. 13, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said the attack happened at a private campground south of Red Lodge, a city about an hour southwest of Billings.

Wildlife officials said they found “unsecured attractants, including garbage, a cooler, and human food, around and inside the tent where the attack occurred.”

NBC Montana reported the child was a 3-year-old girl, though Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks declined to confirm the victim’s age and gender to TODAY.com on Aug. 13.

The child was taken to a nearby hospital, officials said.

Game wardens and bear specialists from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks set a trap at the campsite on Sunday evening and worked with the campground owner to evacuate the campground by the morning of Aug. 12, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. After the campground was fully evacuated, they set up more traps and snares.

“The bear was captured on the afternoon of Aug. 12, and was shot and killed,” according to the statement from wildlife officials. “The black bear involved in the incident had no history of conflicts. However, the bear had likely become food-conditioned and human-habituated after accessing unsecured attractants in the area.”

“Evidence at the site matched the physical characteristics of the bear and FWP believes the bear killed was the bear involved in the attack.”

Why wild bears frequent human campgrounds

When a wild bear discovers it can eat out of a garbage can or cooler at a campsite, wildlife officials call that becoming habitualized. The bears often stop searching for acorns and other mast (the fruits and nuts of trees and shrubs) and instead go for the easier targets like campground garbage bins and open dumpsters.

A 2019 GPS tracker study of black bears in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee found that nearly all black bears left the safe confines of the park to go into nearby cities.

“The food-conditioned bears had the smallest home-ranges. Because they locked in on trash and other human sources of food, they didn’t have to travel as far,” study author Jessica Braunstein told Knoxville, Tennessee NBC affiliate WBIR.

Staying ‘bear aware’ in bear country

When venturing out into bear country, people should do their best to avoid encountering them, officials said in a release.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offers the following suggestions:

• Keep food and anything with a scent out of tents.
• Dispose of garbage in bear resistant bins; otherwise, take it with you and dispose of it properly elsewhere. Do not bury or burn garbage.
• Follow local land management agency food storage orders and properly store unattended food and anything else with a scent.

Some food storage options include bear boxes (large metal storage boxes often available at campgrounds) or hard-sided vehicles like a car or RV, though officials say not to leave food in your car for extended periods of time (like a backcountry trip for several days). Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks also suggests investing in a personal IGBC-certified bear resistant container or getting temporary electric fencing.