3-year-old girl sleeping in tent attacked by a black bear

Wildlife officials are attempting to capture a black bear that attacked a 3-year-old girl while she was sleeping in her tent at a private campground near Red Lodge, Montana.

The incident occurred around 10 o’clock on Sunday night at Perry’s RV Park and Campground, which was evacuated and temporarily closed, as reported by Hamilton, Montana-based Ravalli Republic.

The girl was transported to a hospital in Billings where she was treated, though her condition is not known.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Chrissy Webb told KRTV that there were attractants in the campground that contributed to the attack, but it was not known if any were inside the tent.

A live trap has been set in the area in hopes of capturing the offensive bear.

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Red Lodge has had bear problems in the past.

Last August, a man shot a bear in his living room that had broken into his home 15 miles from the resort community at the base of the Beartooth Mountains.

In 2021, a Red Lodge resident shot a yearling bear in his backyard and was fined for hunting in a closed season.

In 2015, a black bear got into a woman’s car parked south of Red Lodge and destroyed the interior before jumping out through the front window.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has attempted to educate Red Lodge residents to keep food sources away from bears, everything from barbecue grills to fruit trees and bird seed. The town has also distributed bear-proof garbage cans. More information on bear safety tips can be found online at bearwise.org.

It doesn’t help that bears are attracted to the area because the town sits along Rock Creek, considered a perfect corridor for wildlife to travel, according to Ravalli Republic. Plus, the town is near large sections of wildlands, such as the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, and agricultural lands.

Last month, a grizzly bear that was food-conditioned was shot and killed by FWP staff as it had been breaking into homes and businesses near and in the town of Gardiner, Ravalli Republic reported.