Montana Grizzly That Killed California Camper Shot By Officials

The Grizzly bear that pulled a California nurse from her tent and mauled her to death Tuesday morning has been located and shot to death by Montana wildlife officials.

The Grizzly bear that killed 65-year-old Leah Lokan, a nurse from Northern California, while camping in the Montana town of Ovanda has been shot by state wildlife authorities, according to details shared by KTVB.com. The hunt lasted nearly three days, before the bear was spotted by officials in an area they had under surveillance.

The victim had traveled from the city of Chico, California, to western Montana, as part of a bicycle trip. The attack happened at approximately 4 A.M., Tuesday morning. Food had been removed from the tent in the hours prior to the mauling after the bear was spotted nearby, according to KTVB.

The team that located the bear tracked it in the nearby woods at night, and shot it in the area of a chicken coop that the animal had raided in previous days, according to KTVB. Tuesday's incident marks the second human fatality by bear in western Montana in nearly three months. A professional outdoor guide was mauled to death while fishing back in April; wildlife officials located, and shot, the responsible bear in that case as well.

Ovando is located 73-miles northwest of Helena, and has a population of approximately 50. The victim was pulled by the animal while she slept in her tent in close proximity to other campers, but no one was able to come to her aid in time.