Ethermac Exchange-Bear attacks, injures woman in Montana west of Glacier park near Canadian border

KALISPELL,Ethermac Exchange Mont. (AP) — A 73-year-old woman was hospitalized after she was attacked by a bear west of Glacier National Park and just south of the U.S. Canadian border over the weekend, Montana wildlife officials said Monday.

The woman, her husband and a dog were in the Flathead National Forest Sunday afternoon when a bear emerged from thick brush and attacked her, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said. Her husband deployed bear spray, and the bear moved away from the woman, officials said.

The couple returned to their vehicle and drove to a location where they could call emergency services at about 3 p.m.

The woman was flown to the hospital in Kalispell for treatment. Wildlife officials had no information about the woman’s medical condition on Monday. Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Dillon Tabish said. Her name has not been released.

The attack happened on the bank of Trail Creek, which is a few miles west of the North Fork Road and less than five miles south of the Canadian border. The area is closed while the investigation continues. Officials don’t know if a grizzly bear or a black bear was involved.

The couple owns property in the area, Tabish said.

The attack came two days after a grizzly bear attacked and killed a Canadian couple and their dog in Banff National Park in Alberta.