Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game warden Perry Brown prepares to hunt for a grizzly bear that killed Forest Service law enforcement officer Brad Treat near West Glacier, Mont. on Wednesday, June 29, 201.
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Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Ron Aasheim said June 30 that the area is dense with grizzly bears and it may be hard to find the one that killed Treat, who was a law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service.
According to Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry, Mr Treat was ripped from his saddle by the bear while his uninjured friend rode off to find help. The other rider, whose name was not released, went to get help and was not hurt.
The Beacon reports that a search continued Thursday for the animal, which was initially identified as a grizzly. Park officials say there have been 10 bear-related human deaths in Glacier since the park was created in 1910.
In a statement Thursday, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he was saddened to hear of Treat’s death.
A large grizzly had been sighted in a marsh near the scene of the lethal bear mauling while crews searched for the body of victim Brad Treat on Wednesday afternoon, but Curry said searchers did not know whether it was the bear involved in the attack. We are grateful for Officer Treat’s selfless service and share in mourning a life that was taken too soon.
The area has been closed by the U.S. Forest Service for public safety as the investigation continues.
The closure area has expanded around the site of Wednesday’s fatal bear attack in the Flathead National Forest.
“At this point and time the Forest Service is closing the entire area, from Desert Mountain to Coram, over to West Glacier”.
“He was a super-committed employee”, Davies said. For more information on the closure contact Flathead National Forest at 406-758-5200. “We always do. People have lots of passion and lots of opinions”. That really impressed me.
Treat met his future wife, Somer Hileman, of West Glacier, on summer break while still at Washington, and later transferred to her school, the University of Montana, Mason said. Treat’s 1996 time of 9:14.30 in the 3,200-meter race was the fastest in Montana history by a prep runner until it was broken three years later.
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Police officers are now looking for the grizzly bear who allegedly killed a cyclist just outside Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains in Montana. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family”.
