"Bear Problems Just Beginning in Utah"
Jun 20, 2007 by Julie Rose
Wildlife Officials Warn of Dangerous Summer
(KCPW News) A fatal black bear attack in American Fork Canyon Sunday night is the first in Utah's recorded history, according to Division of Wildlife Resources director Jim Karpowitz. And though he hopes it will be the last, Karpowitz warns bears will be a problem this summer:
"The way this summer is shaping up, this may be the beginning of our bear problems," says Karpowitz. "We have bear problems right now in Northern and North-eastern Utah right now with bears popping up in campgrounds and towns. And we're working hard to address those problems within our policy."
That policy includes aggressively hunting bears believed to be dangerous, says Karpowitz. And it's one reason there has never been a fatal black bear incident until now, he adds. In fact, he says wildlife officials had already spent a day actively hunting the bear that would kill 11-year old Samuel Ives later Sunday night. Immediately after the incident, Karpowitz says additional hunters and dogs went after the bear and killed it Monday morning.
"While this was a horrible tragedy, it gives us the opportunity to get the word out that there are wild animals out there and we still have a wilderness right on our doorstep here on the Wasatch Front," says Karpowitz. "We need to follow all the rules real carefully so that camping's safe. But we want people to know that it's safe to go camping."
Karpowitz says bear problems are particularly acute during hot, dry summers when bears show up in campgrounds and cities in search of food.
http://www.kcpw.org/article/3787
