A three-year-old girl who was mauled by a black bear as she slept in a tent at Yellowstone over the weekend has been pictured.
Madison Findley-Dickson was attacked by the predator and taken to a hospital in Billings on Saturday.
In an image shared by mother Carly Findley-Dickson via a GoFundMe page, the young girl can be seen asleep in a hospital bed with what appears to be an injury on her head.
Her mother wrote on the fundraising site: ‘On Saturday, August 10th at 9:00pm, my precious daughter Madison was attacked by a black bear while camping while she was asleep’.
The department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks there were unsecured attractants in the tent, including garbage, food and dirty diapers.
She added that she was starting the GoFundMe ‘for medical and gas bills for when we go back home’, noting that ‘my husband is currently starting a new job, in need of financial help due to Madison having tons of upcoming doctors appointments for her recovery.’
Carly has currently raised $3,285 of her $5,000 target.
This comes after wildlife officials in Montana euthanized a black bear they believe attacked and injured the 3-year-old girl.
Madison and her family had been at Perry’s RV campground just north of Yellowstone National Park.
The campground was evacuated and traps were placed in the area with a bear believed to have been involved then captured and euthanized on Monday afternoon.
The wildlife agency recommends keeping food, garbage and anything with a scent out of tents and stored in bear-resistant containers or vehicles.
According to the North American Bear Center, there are an estimated 750,000 black bears in North America.
Yellowstone is home to two species of bear, black and grizzly and it is one of the few areas outside of Canada where the bears coexist.
Park regulations say that people should stay at least 100 yards from bears unless they are in their cars.
In May of this year, Shayne Patrick Burke, 35, suffered serious injuries as a result of an attack in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
He revealed in a post to Instagram how he was in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ when a mother grizzly bear attacked him.
The full-grown animal had been protecting her cub, he said – resulting in a vicious attack the combat veteran said was the ‘most violent’ thing he’s ever experienced.
He credited a can of bear spray with saving his life, administered as the beast was gnawing on his hands, legs, and the back of his neck, nearly ending him then and there.
The attack, he added, occurred on Signal Mountain – an isolated summit standing some 7,720 feet above sea level in Grand Teton National Park.
Once there for an hour in search of a Great Grey Owl to photograph, he had the ‘surprise encounter’ with the brown bear, he wrote online.
After investigating the incident, the National Park Service (NPS) said it would not attempt to capture or kill the grizzly, as the animals are typically only aggressive when threatened, especially when it comes to their young.