Grizzly bear mauls cyclist to death near Glacier National Park in Montana

A grizzly bear mauled to death a 38-year-old cyclist who was riding along a trail just outside the Glacier National Park, Montana police said.

The rider was killed on the afternoon of Wednesday (29 June) about a mile from the West Glacier campground, Flathead County sheriff Chuck Curry told the Associated Press.

The cyclist, Brad Treat, and another biker were in the Halfmoon Lakes area in the Flathead National Forest when they tried to disturb the bear, according to the sheriff. The bear knocked the cyclist off his bike while the other rider went to look for help. The second biker, who was not identified, was not injured.

Treat was a law enforcement officer with the US Forest Service. "Brad was an integral member of our area law enforcement team and a friend to us all," Curry said.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced plans to remove grizzly bears from the threatened species list. Authorities said bear attacks in the area are rare. About 10 bear-related deaths have been reported since the Glacier National Park was created in 1910. The last death was reported in 1998, when three bears killed and partially ate a park employee when he was hiking.