Grizzly Bear Slaughters North California Woman Camping in Montana

Before her fellow campers could use bear spray to force the North American brown bear to leave the area, a North California woman was pulled by the grizzly bear from her tent in the middle of the night in a small town in Montana, wildlife officials stated Wednesday.

Based on the wildlife officials, the North California woman was killed on the second visit of the bear to the site, where she and her two fellow bicyclists were camping near the post office.

As KTLA5 reported, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks officials stated that 65-year-old Leah Davis Lokan, a resident of Chico, California, was on a long-distance bicycling trip and had stopped in the western Montana town of Ovando.

Officials said the approximately 400-pound (181 kilograms) grizzly first awakened the campers at around 3 a.m, Tuesday. The campers took their food out of their tents to secure it and went back to sleep.

However, just 15 minutes later, wildlife officials said that the surveillance video from a business in town showed that the bear was about a block from the post office.

Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles stated that at around 4:15 a.m., the sheriff's office received a 911 call after two people in a tent near the victim were awakened by sounds of the attack. Roselles said that the two campers discharged their bear spray, and the bear ran away.

Meanwhile, the bear was also believed to have entered a chicken coop located in the town that night, killing and eating several chickens. Officials searched the area using a helicopter to look for the grizzly again Wednesday, but they failed, and they couldn't find it.

Furthermore, Randy Arnold, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks regional supervisor in Missoula stated that their best chance to catch the grizzly bear would be culvert traps set in the area close to the chicken coop where the bear killed and ate several chickens.

The spokesperson for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Greg Lemon, stated that the bear will be killed if it is found. The agency added that investigators have obtained DNA from the bear at the scene of the attack and would be able to compare it with any bruins that they would be able to trap, NBC Bay Area reported.

An Adventurous Soul

Mary Flowers, a friend of the victim, stated that Lokan, a registered nurse who was working at a hospital in Chico, had looked forward to the Montana bike trip for months. Flowers added that Lokan had taken previous long-distance bike trips, and in her latest trip, she was accompanied by her sister and a friend, ABC News reported.

Flowers also mentioned that Lokan loved this kind of adventure. Lokan's friend added that despite her age, the nurse was doing this kind of adventurous stuff. Flowers added that Lokan had a passion for life that was out of the ordinary.

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Written by Jess Smith

WATCH: Montana officials searching for bear in fatal attack - Associated Press