Montana Woman Was Attacked by Bear Inside Home, Fed Bears With Bird Seed

More information has been released about the bear attack that occurred Sunday afternoon west of Kalispell, which sent an elderly woman to the hospital.

"Our investigative team determined that the attack occurred within the elderly lady's home," said Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Region 1 Public Information Officer John Fraley on Tuesday Morning, Sept. 29. "It was a serious attack with serious injuries, and the woman remains hospitalized at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. It was also determined that bears at the site were had been extensively and deliberately fed with bird seed and other materials at the residents."

Fraley said that deliberate feeding of the bear had helped to condition it and will likely result in the bear’s death.

"We are continuing to attempt to trap the bear. We have traps out there, but we have not been successful at this point," Fraley said. "Because the bear has created an injury and has likely been heavily food conditioned, we will likely euthanize the bear when we do catch it. We did not find any point of entry into the home, but we have found where the bear escaped through a window."

Fraley would not say whether the woman had been bitten or clawed during the attack, but said that more than one bear in the area may need to either be removed or euthanized.

According to Montana law, supplemental feeding of wildlife is illegal.