A subadult black bear was captured Monday night south of Red Lodge, a day after a 3-year-old child was mauled in a tent while staying at a private campground.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks information officer Chrissy Webb said trapping efforts would continue into the early afternoon at Perry’s RV Park and Campground to ensure other food conditioned bears were not in the area. The business evacuated all campers following the incident on Monday and has been temporarily closed to new campers.
The black bear was trapped on Monday night, Aug. 12, close to 24 hours after the mauling occurred on Sunday night around 10 p.m. The child was transferred to a Billings hospital where she is being treated. Webb said more information will be released later on the investigation into the incident.
There were “unsecured attractants” in the campground where the child was sleeping, Webb said on Monday, but was waiting for a press release to provide other details. She would not comment on whether there may have been attractants in the tent with the child.
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Red Lodge residents commonly see and encounter black bears in town and the outlying areas. The community has taken steps to ensure bears do not become conditioned to human food sources by using bearproof garbage cans. FWP has also stepped up its education efforts in recent years to try and ensure bears do not relate humans to food.
Residents are advised to keep pet food, barbecues, bird feeders secured and to pick up fallen apples from trees. Yet black bears have broken into vehicles, houses and unsecured dumpsters over the years.Â
Attacks on humans, although rare, have occurred in the past with food conditioned animals. Most recently, a grizzly bear in the Gardiner area was breaking into homes, outbuildings and businesses before it was shot by FWP officials in July.
