Bear attacks sleeping camper in Montana and returns despite bear spray

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The victim was guiding a rafting group on an overnight expedition

Black bear walking along trail, Minnesota
(Image credit: Getty)

A woman was attacked by a black bear last week while camping by a river in Montana last week. Local news site The Laurel Outlook reports that the incident took place early in the morning by Middle Fork Flathead River, where the woman was leading a rafting trip with one other guide and three guests.

The attack was brief and the woman's injuries were "non life-threatening". She was taken to Logan Health hospital in nearby Whitefish for treatment.

In a statement, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) explained that someone deployed bear spray at the camp, but the bear returned several times.

FWP is currently investigating and searching for the bear in partnership with the National Park Service and US Forest Service.

Potentially dangerous

Montana is home to both black bears and grizzlies. Attacks on humans are rare, but there are steps all campers and hikers should take to avoid close calls.

"All bears are potentially dangerous," says FWP. "The majority of human-bear conflicts involve bears protecting their young or a food source. The overwhelming majority of bear encounters do not involve conflict."

For more advice, see our guides what to do if you meet a bear and wildlife safety: eight tips for unexpected encounters.

Cat Ellis
Cat Ellis
Editor

Cat is the editor of Advnture, She’s been a journalist for 15 years, and was fitness and wellbeing editor on TechRadar before joining the Advnture team in 2022. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better), usually wearing at least two sports watches.