Montana - A 72-year-old man was picking huckleberries when a female grizzly bear attacked. The berry picker suffered severe injuries and killed his animal assailant in the struggle.

The unidentified man was berry-picking in Flathead National Forest when he was attacked and seriously injured by a full-grown female grizzly bear on Thursday, per the New York Post.

During the struggle, he was able to fire a handgun and kill the bear. He was rushed to the hospital after the attack.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials think the female bear was probably trying to protect her cubs.

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Per agency spokesperson Dillon Tabish, wildlife officers are still searching the area for orphaned cubs.

Tabish wasn't sure if the animals would be taken into captivity: "Depending on the age, we might leave them in the wild because they have a better chance of survival, rather than have to euthanize them."

Surprisingly, that wasn't the only bear fatality in Montana on Thursday.

On the same day, another bear incident occurred about 300 miles away. Wildlife officers in Gardiner, a town north of Yellowstone National Park, were forced to shoot and kill another adult female grizzly bear, which was breaking into homes and stealing food.

Luckily, no one was injured in that incident. Officials think that the animals became accustomed to stealing human food.

Usually, wildlife officials try to capture and move grizzlies that cause problems with people.

That said, once a bear engages in predatory behavior towards humans, authorities are forced to kill the animal, as relocation has little effect.