A young girl was attacked in Montana by a black bear that has since been euthanized, authorities said.
The animal attacked the girl inside a tent about 10 p.m. Sunday in a private campground south of Red Lodge in Carbon County, said Chrissy Webb, a spokesperson for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The northeast entrance to Yellowstone Park is about 70 miles south of Red Lodge.
Webb declined to release the age of the child or her condition Tuesday.
NBC Montana of Missoula reported the girl is 3 years old.
The animal was attracted to the campsite by unsecured items, Webb said.
Garbage, a cooler and food were around and inside the tent, the wildlife agency said in a statement Tuesday.
“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,” the statement said.
The bear was caught after wildlife personnel set up traps and snares at the campsite and the site was evacuated. Once it had been captured, the bear was shot and killed, the agency said.
The child was hospitalized in Billings, which is about 60 miles northeast of Red Lodge.
The department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said on X that a black bear was captured and had been euthanized as of Monday night.
“FWP believes it was the bear involved in the incident,” the post said.
The agency warns the public that “Montana is bear country” and that people may encounter grizzly or black bears. It suggests people keep food and anything with a scent outside of tents and dispose of garbage in bear-resistant bins and that they do not bury or burn garbage.
