The final report on the Ovando bear attack that killed a California bicyclist last summer found that the incident was likely an attack driven by a food-conditioned bear.
The recently released Interagency Grizzly Bear Executive Committee report found that food and toiletries inside and near the tent, as well as food scent left behind from July 4 picnic celebrations, were likely contributing factors.
“This unfortunate incident appears to have been a predatory attack by a habituated or food-conditioned bear. Predatory attacks are rare, and we do not know exactly how, why, or when the predatory instinct occurred,” the report read.
In the early morning hours of July 6, 2021, the bear wandered into Ovando, raided a chicken coop, dragged 64-year-old Leah Davis Lokan from her tent, and fatally mauled her. Davis was on a 400-mile bike camping trip from Eureka to Helena along the Great Divide bicycle route.
The report outlined a more detailed timeline of events:
- At 3:08 a.m., campers near Lokan were awoken by her screaming, “bear, bear.” The bear was several feet from Lokan’s and a nearby couple’s tents at this point. The couple and Lokan scared the bear off by making noise. After the first encounter with the bear, Lokan got up and moved two bags of food from her tent to a nearby building. At this time, the couple asked Lokan if she wanted to stay in a nearby hotel, but Lokan declined. About an hour later, the bear came back and fatally attacked Lokan.
The bear responsible for the attack was shot and killed days after the incident by wildlife officials.
The report said that not all bears exhibiting food-conditioned behavior exhibit predatory behavior, but for some unknown reason, a predatory response was triggered in this bear.
“While foraging under the cover of darkness in Ovando, perhaps due to a simple movement made by the sleeping victim, or a certain sound made by the victim, the bear reacted and ended up taking the life of Ms. Lokan,” the report read.
In light of the attack, the report recommended people be hyper bear aware while camping and enjoying the outdoors.
“Grizzly bears within campgrounds or lingering near residences or other areas where people congregate, such as town centers, are serious events and should not be tolerated,” the report read. “Bears can often be convinced to leave the area with simple hazing methods such as clapping, yelling, or horns. If a grizzly bear approaches an occupied tent, campers should seek shelter in a building or vehicle and should not return to the tent for the night.”
This story originally appeared in the The Daily Montanan, which can be found online at dailymontanan.com.