Bear Mauls 3-Year-Old at Montana Campground

A young female black bear was euthanized after it mauled a young female human at a campground in Montana, authorities say. The 3-year-old girl was sleeping in a tent at a private campsite near Red Lodge on Sunday night when the bear wandered in and attacked her, the Idaho Statesman reports. Officials said the injured girl was taken to a medical facility in Billings and the campground was evacuated, reports the Daily Montanan. Game wardens and bear specialist were sent in, officials said. Traps and snares were set in the area and the bear was euthanized after it was captured the next day.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks described the animal as a "subadult female black bear" in a Facebook post on Tuesday. "The black bear involved in the incident had no history of conflicts," the agency said. "However, the bear had likely become food-conditioned and human-habituated after accessing unsecured attractants in the area." The agency said it "found unsecured attractants, including garbage, a cooler, and human food, around and inside the tent where the attack occurred. FWP spokesperson Chrissy Webb tells the Daily Montanan that DNA samples will be taken to confirm the bear shot and killed Monday is the same bear that attacked the girl. (More bear attack stories.)