When a grizzly bear attacked a 72-year-old man in Montana as he was gathering huckleberries, the man fought back and killed the creature.
On Thursday, July 18, the man—who has not been named—was alone on national forest ground when the adult female charged at him, seriously injuring him, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials.
Before being taken to a nearby hospital, he was able to kill the bear with a firearm during the struggle.
The bear was probably a mother trying to protect her kids, Dillon Tabish, an agency representative, said.
Workers in the wildlife department have started looking for cubs nearby.
“Depending on their age, we might not have to put them to death and instead leave them in the wild where they have a better chance of surviving,” stated Tabish.
According to the state wildlife department, the attack took place in the Flathead National Forest around two miles north of Columbia Falls, a 5,500-person community in northwest Montana.
Fish, Wildlife & Parks shot an adult female grizzly bear that was breaking into homes and stealing food in the Gardner community, which is located just north of Yellowstone National Park, on the same day that the victim was attacked.
The bear, shot dead in the Yellowstone River some 300 miles south of the attack site near Columbia Falls, did not injure any human being.
