Roughly one year ago, Leah Davis Lokan was mauled to death in her tent by a 4-year-old male grizzly. The tragedy made international headlines and sparked conversations about how humans and bears can coexist.
Two hundred years ago, grizzly bears dominated the Montana landscape. But today, people have taken that throne and relegated the animal to a fraction of its former range. But the bears — backed by legal protection and decades of recovery effort — have begun reasserting themselves, in some cases wandering through areas they haven’t been spotted in for many years. The slow expansion has led to an increase in bear conflicts that run the gamut in severity — trash can rummages, chicken coop break-ins, attacks on large livestock and fatal maulings of humans. And as both human and bear populations continue to swell, experts say the number of conflicts will grow as well.
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On this episode, Missoulian Reporter Josh Murdock and Missoulian Editor Rob Chaney, discuss a recently-released report that focuses on the fatal mauling of Leah Lokan, and what the incident means for our relationship with grizzly bears in the West.
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Montana wildlife officials are searching for a grizzly bear that killed a woman who was camping.
Two steel culvert traps, each big enough to hold a riding lawnmower, sit in the campground where the tents used to be. Signs on the trees warn “Closed: Bear management action in progress.”
The woman and her party were camped near the town's post office and museum when a grizzly bear pulled her out of her tent and killed her early Tuesday, officials said.
