Bear pulls woman out of her tent, kills her in Montana

[marmar]

Helena, Mont. — A grizzly bear pulled a woman from her tent in a small Montana town in the middle of the night and killed her before fellow campers could use bear spray to force the bruin out of the area, wildlife officials said Wednesday.

Leah Davis Lokan, 65, of Chico, California, was on a long-distance bicycling trip and had stopped in the western Montana town of Ovando when she was killed early Tuesday, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials as they provided more details about the attack.

Lokan was killed on the bear’s second visit to the site where she and two fellow bicyclists were camping near the post office, officials said.

The approximately 400-pound (181 kilogram) grizzly first awakened the campers about 3 a.m., officials said. They took food out of their tents, secured it and went back to sleep, they said. ................(more)

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2021/07/07/bear-pulls-woman-out-her-tent-kills-her-montana/7896555002/

[Maru Kitteh]

1. I'm sorry, but she was killed by the stupid. Bear was being a bear.

Only a freakin' idiot keeps FOOD in their tent. Sometimes stupid kills. I'm sorry for her friends and family but I'm even sorrier for the bears in the area that will now be hunted because of her ignorance.

[lastlib]

2. This.

If they HAD food in their tent (even so much as a gum wrapper), a bear can smell it, even though they removed the food. And if they can smell it, they'll go after it.

[malaise]

6. Very well said

See the bear still has dominion over some places

[H2O Man]

7. Right.

A terrible way to die, and horrible for the others. But they were visitors to the bear's territory. As for keeping food in their tent, what were they thinking? Or why weren't they thinking?

[Retired Engineer Bob]

53. My dad and i backpacked in black bear territory

The absolute rule was no food in the tent. We kept the food sacks well away, tossed over a tree branch with a rope between so both sacks were at least 20 ft up.

[vercetti2021]

3. What the hell did she expect?

It's a bear, you have food. Your goddamn judgement went out the window. You keep your food locked and put away from your site where a bear cannot reach it. Also don't camp in bear territory!

[LizBeth]

9. Bear territory is just about everywhere.

[vercetti2021]

10. Camp is a designated area

[LizBeth]

11. I am not sure what you are saying. Camp a designated area for bears or to camp?

Still bears are all across U.S. You say don't camp where bears are. Ergo no camping most everywhere. We had a bear pawing at our tent and drinking our coke from a cooler well away from us in Red River NM.

Mostly, bears leave people alone. Occasionally, not often at all, there is an attack.

[Volaris]

22. Cause the bears read ALL the signs...

I get your point, she thought she was somewhere appropriate and safe (as opposed to camping in a designated wildlife area).

The issue is that unless its fenced, a bear will go where the hell it wants to. If you're somewhere bears can be, too, best to TRY be smarter than the bear.

I know sometimes, that's just not possible.

[luckone]

4. I'm sure they all were initially advised NOT to keep food in their tent period

Removing it after the scent in the tent would have still made them an attractive meal in bear country
I hope the bears in the area are left alone no vigilantes

[MontanaMama]

5. Bears are under assault right now in MT

with our current Governor and repuke leadership. This won’t help one bit. This woman and her companions kept food in their tents for Pete’s sake. Rule #1 of being in bear country is to secure your food well away from where you sleep. The bear came through the first time and yeah, the people removed the food but the tent still smells like food! Duh.

I wouldn't in a million years tent camp in or near Ovando. Grizzly bears are everywhere. If you can read, there are signs all over the place stating that this is bear country.

Montana has been overrun with people from other places who have moved here to escape Covid now that they’ve found out they can work from anywhere. I know people don’t like to hear this but these folks don’t know the rules of the game here and as always, the resource, in this case the bear, will suffer.

[H2O Man]

8. Well said.

Very well said, indeed.

[WarGamer]

28. That's right... they also tend to run the first Winter.

[MontanaMama]

41. Do you mean the people

who gave come up here to MT? I wish they’d run…the last winter wasn’t bad enough.

[WarGamer]

48. Yeah thats what I meant...

When I was a teenager I spent 2 weeks over the Christmas/New Year holiday at a relatives house (my parents went on vacation) in Pinedale Wyoming.

My uncle would take me out snowmobiling, I swore I wanted to grow up into a mountain man or rancher... couldn't decide.

But thinking back, the weather was unreal. Reminded me of one of the SciFi horror movies where the Snow monster attacks the scientists in the Arctic base.

40-50mph winds and snow. At the same time. Or maybe it was the wind blowing old snow lol... vicious cold. And that wind... will never forget Wyoming wind.

[MontanaMama]

49. Gotcha.

Wyoming wind..eastern MT wind…you’re right., it’s vicious. I’m in western MT…less wind, more snow. Not enough of either to make these people go away. I wish I didn’t feel like this but I do. This isn’t normal tourist season. They’re here and I don’t think they’re leaving. Once every few years we have a winter that sets us on our heels. We need one of those in 2021.

[WarGamer]

50. enjoy it! For those with solid constitutions it seems like an AWESOME place to live.

I've been to Coeur D'alene a few times (friends of parents) and Flathead Lake once.

Bucket list is Yellowstone and Jackson... soon?

[Chakaconcarne]

12. I keep food and cooking area far, far away

from my tent... the thought of encountering a grizzly in the middle of the night freaks me the hell out.

feel really bad for her and her family....not living around bears, I can see how some might not have precautions on the forefront.

[FakeNoose]

24. Right ::: NEVER bring food or snacks into the tent

It's best to put all edibles into a Bear Bag and suspend it high on a tree limb for overnight storage. That Bear Bag needs to be at least 50 yards away from sleeping tents.

This is terrible news for the victim, and I have sympathy for her friends and family. Very sad!

[Strelnikov_]

54. That is the food storage bag for me.

My 'bear bag' is the one I place my clothes in was wearing that day, with a rope attached, and thrown 10 feet or so from the tent for retrieval in the morning.

The only thing in the tent is sleeping bag and underclothes that have little chance of having food residue.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

56. Yes, that's what I've done too.

There's some odor-proof plastic bags that help reduce the chance of bears being attracted to the hanging bag too.

Any cooking and eating is done outdoors away from the tent too, even if outside conditions are pretty lousy.

[Happy Hoosier]

13. You are in THEIR house

Too many people have lost sight of the fact that the wilderness can be the home for apex predators. If I were in grizzly country, I'd sleep with bear spray attached to me. And probably be carrying a firearm (where legal).

[Binkie The Clown]

14. It is Mother Nature's job to continually try to kill us. Ask Darwin.

Lions, tigers, bears, wolves, snakes, ticks, mosquitoes, viruses, bacteria, mold spores, freezing temperatures, earthquakes, floods, ...

[alphafemale]

15. I hope they don't kill the bear for being a bear.

But they probably will because she was terminally stupid.

[Duppers]

60. Exactly!

Thank you.

[Hortensis]

16. What a dreadful tragedy. Bear attacks are extremely uncommon,

and especially in a campground in a town. These long-distance cyclists had a lot more reason to fear being run over by a drunk driver.

This grizzly that left millions of acres of wilderness to enter this town and attack woman sleeping in a tent will be killed when identified. Of course. They've closed the campsites until then.

RIP, Leah. She reportedly was a registered nurse who loved the outdoors.

“She was a free spirit first and foremost. She always had a smile on her face. She always gave great hugs when you saw her,” Castaldo said. “She was a good woman. She’s going to be missed.”

[GusBob]

18. 2 points of interest that people are missing here

They were in a town, not in the wilderness. They were camped behind a museum building

They were pedal bikers, perhaps they had no safe way to store their food.

Perhaps they were tired, perhaps they let their guard down, but still folks here are acting like this person deserved to be killed because bears are more important than people?

She sounds like a great person. Fuck that bear

[EX500rider]

20. +1

[Hortensis]

21. Agree. She does sound like she was a great person.

I admit to being biased in favor of registered nurses in general. Important work.

Reportedly grizzly populations are growing and increasing their range. Killings are almost unheard of, but this one has to be found and put down because this wasn't an accidental tragedy, such as a hiker suprising a bear. His DNA will be used to verify they have the killer.

[flying_wahini]

25. People assuming that is was food stash but an old food wrapper can still smell like food.

[Hortensis]

34. Yes. And people always smell like food to predators.

Alligator swamp is only 25 feet of open lawn away from our mobile home in Florida, including the patio where we often eat out. People are used to the warning not to feed them, but I warn our visitors that we ARE food and do not train them to come to us for it.

Did I quote what I read that grizzlies' sense of smell is 2100 times as strong as ours? This guy knew human meat was in there. The whole area no doubt reeked of it.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

57. Humans are far down the list of the typical Grizzly menu.

It's usually other odors on people that lead to problems.

I personally wouldn't risk tent-camping around them, regardless. Black bears are far less worrisome.

[Hortensis]

66. Sure, but that's out of self preservation. We're predators ourselves

and they virtually always find other food. Even in the wilderness, much less a campground in a town.

Know what you mean about tenting in grizzly country, though. There aren't many stories to hear, but we've city folk who've probably heard them all. We camped a lot in the western states, almost always in the wilderness down some lonely dirt track, but once the kids came along we did it in a cozy slide-on camper.

[Mysterian]

29. Ovando is a "town" of 50 people

Driving through Ovando it's easy to miss the "town."

She was in the middle of bear country and was ignorant or uncaring about food storage rules.

[Crunchy Frog]

36. Bears, unlike people, do not act out of deliberate malice.

Frankly, I'd prefer the company of bears over that of many of the good citizens of Montana. And even certain posters on DU.

[treestar]

67. I agree; notice about DU

that people are less valued than animals, at least where they don't know the person.

[Kaleva]

74. Her and her companions actions led to her death.

Your comment:

"but still folks here are acting like this person deserved to be killed because bears are more important than people?"

Can you quote the post here in this thread where it is said the woman deserved to die or are you just projecting and making stuff up?

[Mysterian]

30. Yes, the evil grizzly is morally to blame

That's the dumbest fucking thing I've read today. Ovando is a "town" of 50 people in the middle of grizzly habitat and the deceased was careless and/or ignorant of grizzly country food storage rules. As a result, the bear likely will be hunted and killed. Hope you're happy that the evil bear will be executed because of this person's negligence.

[treestar]

68. "execution?"

It's just a bear, not a human.

Here's some thought on it though, the article says there is no proof for the main reason (once an animal attacks humans, it will do so again)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/06/21/do-wild-animals-that-attack-people-need-to-die/

https://www.theinertia.com/mountain/if-an-animal-kills-a-person-should-it-be-killed/

[Piasladic]

69. Thank you for the links-nt

[obamanut2012]

76. Agreed, and they did kill the poor grizz

[HelpImSurrounded]

17. And the lesson is...

Aside from NOT putting food in your tent in the first place, having done so and survived, they need to pack up and leave. Moving the food at that point was useless.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

45. Yep, the odor will linger inside. nt

[tinrobot]

19. The poor woman was mauled to death. Have some compassion.

Most of the responses here seem to indicate that she was stupid and/or deserved it.

Jeez. She was a human being.

[ansible]

23. Lots of misanthropy around here these days

Note how the immediate reaction for some here is to immediately blame the human

[Crunchy Frog]

37. We're in the middle of a sixth mass extinction due to human activity.

I know which side I consider the victim in most human/animal encounters.

[hunter]

26. She was a human being.

And a bear was a bear.

That's the way Mother Nature rolls.

We humans are nothing special.

Watch us die.

I imagine a heaven where we get bragging rights for interesting deaths.

"Hitler or Stalin or Pol Pot killed me" is a ten.

I was killed by a bear or a shark is a five.

"I jumped out of a moving car" is a one.

"I was cleaning my gun" is a zero.

[Xavier Breath]

31. Then any story that begins with

"I was from Florida..." has gotta be good for 25+ points.

[hunter]

32. Only if you are killed by a manatee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatee

The other Florida stuff is just a five point bonus.

[Xavier Breath]

33. If it rolls over on you in your sleep

Then that's gotta be worth 50.

[hunter]

35. Only with enthusiastic consent.

I'm not sure what that looks like in Manatee culture.

[Xavier Breath]

38. I think trying to hump a human

is more dolphin schtick

[alphafemale]

62. Sure it's a bad death. So is emphysema from smoking two packs a day for 50 years.

It was her fault.

Maybe someone can wear a steak bathing suit and swim with piranha and then be shocked at how mean the fish are.

[Mysterian]

27. Were NOT following bear country food storage rules

Yeah, keep food in your tent in grizzly country. Smart idea.

[Initech]

40. Where is old Stephen Colbert when you need him?

[Wingus Dingus]

42. Awakened by fucking GRIZZLY BEAR who wants the food in your tent, and you...

move the food out of your tent and GO BACK TO SLEEP? It's pitch black outside and there's a thin layer of fabric between you and this hungry beast and you just taunted him with the prospect of a tasty meal and you...GO BACK TO SLEEP? These people are fools. I feel bad for this lady, what a horrible end, but such bad decisions.

[edhopper]

43. Amazed how many are blaming this poor woman

Instead of seeing it as a horrific tragedy.
Doesn't sound like they were wilfully stupid. Just didn't do everything perfectly.
This isn't some idiot in Yellowstone trying to take a bear selfish.
She was asleep in her tent FCS.

[MontanaMama]

51. Nope. They didn't do everything perfectly

and they chose to piddle around in grizzly bear country. Ovando is known for grizzlies. I live here and tent camping in that area might be allowed but I sure wouldn’t do it. And, she had food in her tent. I don’t care if she was asleep or eating a Big Mac. The bear doesn’t care either. There are signs everywhere explaining the rules in that area and ever other area that grizzlies frequent. There are lots of places for novice bikers and campers to go. Ovando isn’t one of them. Read a freaking pamphlet for Pete’s sake or stay in California. I’m sick of these people coming here and not being able to handle it. The bear dies as a result.

[tinrobot]

58. You act as if you've never made a mistake.

Like any human does, she made a mistake. Sadly, hers proved fatal.

I'm sure her family is devastated.

[Duppers]

63. Camping in the wild is serious business.

Last edited Fri Jul 9, 2021, 08:30 AM - Edit history (1)

And obviously potentially very dangerous. You must understand the particular behavior of the animals in the area.

Grizzlies are more dangerous than black bears and not just because of their size, although that is a major factor - they're more aggressive about food & territory.

(Several times my husband & I have met the more easy-going black bears on back trails in the GSMNP. Want to read how area residents feel about our black bears: https://www.instagram.com/p/CRGxWZCMSGf/?utm_medium=copy_link )

Obviously these folks just didn't understand grizzlies well enough. (It's even recommended that you don't sleep in the same clothes you eat in!)

(And as Timothy Treadwell said, even grizzlies differ. He knew he was near "bad" grizzlies when he was killed but that where officials made him camp. Long story.)

[tinrobot]

64. She was camped with others next to a US Post Office, for crying out loud.

Not hard to imagine how someone could mistake that for civilization and not "the wild."

But, hey, let's keep harping on her for making that mistake. Paying with her life is obviously not enough of a penalty.

Jeez. Find some compassion.

[MontanaMama]

70. I make mistakes every single day.

That’s not at all what I am saying. This wasn’t secret information to not keep food in your tent. It is publicly posted everywhere. There’s sign at the end of my street stating this. It isn’t a joke. It wasn’t just a silly mistake…it was a life and death decision and this group thought they knew better. They came up here and played by their own rules and it cost them. It cost the bear too. It’s dead. Fish and wildlife shot it last night. I’m sure her family is devastated too.

[tinrobot]

72. Another lecture on what she did wrong

We get it. Bears will mess you up. Message received.

If this were your mother or your sister, would you be lecturing the family about bear safety or would you be grieving?

Yes, we ALL make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are fatal. I'm sure her family is devastated. I feel for them. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

It's called compassion. Put down the bear safety manuals and read up on it some day.

[Strelnikov_]

55. Yes, it is.

The bear came to town for food, found food (chickens) and would be returning again.

Eventually, it would have to be relocated or destroyed, per standard protocol.

[Duppers]

61. Camping in the wilderness is rather like skydiving...

There are rules that MUST be perfectly followed!
(Done both.) One MUST know the rules and understand the dangers.

I think what people are reacting to is how totally avoidable this tragedy was. Also, we regret the human nature to blame & want to kill bears after such a tragedy has happened.
This was not the bear's fault but now it must be destroyed.

Should this hungry grizzly be blamed any more than a mispacked parachute? It would be the packer's fault and in this case, this poor lady's and her companions' fault.

It's was indeed a most horrible tragedy! And I'm lamenting her avoidable death.

Luckily I had a good teacher, a native American who had backpacked in the wild most of his life. These poor folks, I think, just didn't know enough about bear behavior.

For this lady.

[edhopper]

65. Except she wasn't in the wilderness

She was in a town next to a Post Office.

I don't blame the bear, that would imply guilt. No more than I would blame a rock slide that killed someone.

[obamanut2012]

78. She was sleeping outside on bear territory

Period.

Now, the bear has been hunted down and killed. It is all a huge tragedy that could have been prevented.

[edhopper]

80. Ovando sees 1,000 cyclist a year

It's not like she was on uncrowded ground for cyclists.
This was the first bear attack in town . Even the locals were surprised.

https://nbcmontana.com/news/residents-officials-shocked-by-bear-attack-in-ovando

[obamanut2012]

77. She had food in her tent

I was five when I was taught to never do that, ever.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

44. I will never camp in a tent within Grizzly country.

And I've NEVER kept food or toiletries (tooth paste, toilet paper, etc.) inside the tent at any time. That's not wise even within black bear country, which are far more skittish bears.

[MontanaMama]

52. This.

Thank you. 🙏

[obamanut2012]

79. Exactly

I have only camped in black bear country, like in NC and Florida, and I won't even have electrolytes inside the tent. I would probably never camp near Grizz.

[Ron Obvious]

46. Interesting headline

Sounds like the bear took the poor woman out of her tent and then dragged her to Montana before killing her.

[roamer65]

47. It is what it is.

[Raine]

59. A bear being a bear and now will be killed because of doing what bears do.

I'm so sorry about the woman, feel for her friends too. What an awful thing to have to hear and see and always have that memory of your friend's brutal death. It's sad all around.

[MontanaMama]

71. Yes.

The bear was killed last night. My husband just got the call from Montana Fish & Game. They’re bringing it into his shop to be skinned and tanned. The hide will be used for educational purposes which is something, I guess. Its too bad that the educational aspect will not reach the people that it needs to reach. It’s sad all around indeed.

[caraher]

73. Ovando is not quite a town

I had breakfast there in 2017 when I was (road) cycling. There are buildings, a few businesses catering to cyclists, but it's not as if the bear strolled into a place that was a hive of human activity. At the same time, I can totally understand getting a false sense of security - camping there would not obviously feel like being "out in the wilderness."

"Ovando" (or "near Ovando" ) comes three times on Wikipedia's "List of fatal bear attacks in North America"

[madville]

75. Bad luck

Kinda like swimming in the ocean, someone will get bit or killed by a shark, the chances are low but it happens

[edhopper]

81. To those who think she should have expected this

Even the locals were surprised.

https://nbcmontana.com/news/residents-officials-shocked-by-bear-attack-in-ovando

And Ovando gets around 1000 cyclists a year, with no bear attacks until now.