Calif. Woman Fatally Mauled by Grizzly Bear in Mont. Was Victim of Rare Predatory Attack

Leah Lokan/Facebook

A Grizzly bear had become "food conditioned," which prompted the animal to fatally attack a California woman in western Montana last summer, according to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.

An incident report authored earlier this year by the IGBC concluded that the bear had learned to find human food, and exhibited a "predatory instinct," which led to the death of Leah Davis Lokan, 65.

"Many bears living in Montana, at one time or another, encounter unnatural foods such as garbage, grains, and bird feeders, and may be considered 'mildly food conditioned.' However, the circumstantial evidence gathered on this bear indicates a higher level of 'food-conditioned' behavior," according to the 26-page report.

Lokan was mauled by the 417-lb. bear in the July 6, 2021 attack.

"While foraging under the cover of darkness in Ovando, perhaps due to a simple movement made by the sleeping victim, or a certain sound made by the victim, the bear reacted," the committee's board of review wrote in the report.

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The champion cyclist, of Chico, California, was in the area along with her sister and a friend to ride along the Great Divide Mountain Bike route, according to the Associated Press.

"Ms. Lokan decided to camp behind the museum next to Kim and Joe Cole, acquaintances they had met along the ride. At approximately 3:08 am on July 6th, Ms. Lokan and the Coles were awoken by a bear near their tents," the committee wrote in the report summary.

The report continued: "They all got up and made noise and the bear left the area. At that time, Ms. Lokan moved food (packaged snack foods and dried lentils) from her tent into a nearby building and took bear spray into her tent. After returning to sleep, the Coles were again awoken by noise at approximately 4:05 am and they realized that Ms. Lokan was being attacked by a bear. They immediately ran to seek help and emergency responders were dispatched. After initial attempts to perform CPR and AED, it was determined that there were no obvious signs of life."

Despite the fact that Lokan moved the food from her tent after the first encounter with the bear, the report stated that two bags with toiletries, which previously held dried blueberries, "still had the scent of berries on them" and that no other food was found in the tent.

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The investigation found that food in the saddle bags of Lokan's bike, which was propped against the building 10 feet from her tent, was not removed from the area.

"The presence of food, initially in the tent and in close proximity, is likely why the bear returned to the tents a second time," according to the report.

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Authorities also found "an almost completely empty can of Frontiersman brand bear spray, black with a white label and missing the safety tab" under the tent.

The can, assumed to be Lokan's, had a "fresh oily residue on the outside and had a strong odor of capsaicin, suggesting it had been deployed the morning of the attack," the committee said.

Tom Bauer/Missoulian/AP

On July 9, authorities tracked the same bear to a nearby chicken coop where it was shot by wildlife agents.

The report's findings are based on investigations, personal statements and documentations of personnel with the Powell County Sheriff's Office, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) and the Powell County Coroner's Office, the committee said.