Utah, federal officials urge bear safety after recent attacks in the West

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Recent bear attacks prompt safety reminders; officials stress precautions in bear habitats.
• Utah wildlife officials warn of potentially higher bear encounters following low snowfall, warmer temperatures.
• Low snowpack allows bears and humans to move around more in higher-elevation areas.

SALT LAKE CITY — Record-low snowfall in Utah and across the West this winter may create earlier interactions between humans and bears, which is why Utah and federal wildlife officials are advising hikers to be aware of bears as the peak outdoor recreation season begins.

"We've already seen like a couple of bears in places where maybe we wouldn't see them quite this early," said Chad Wilson, game mammals coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. That could be attributed to the warmer weather.

Bears in Utah, he explains, are normally out of hibernation by this point in the year, but they usually stick to mountainous terrain until the vegetation dries out, then move down to lower elevations in search of food.

Despite the terrible snowpack, precipitation levels have been decent this year at mountain sites across Utah.

Statewide mountain precipitation between the start of the water year, Oct. 1, and mid-May remains 87% of normal, per Natural Resources Conservation Service data. It matched the median average in early March, when statewide snowpack levels at the same sites peaked slightly above half of what's normally collected.

All of this is to say, high-elevation areas that typically receive snow during the winter collected rain instead, which has likely kept vegetation plentiful for bears and other wildlife in these high-elevation spaces.

That's perhaps a benefit of the record-low snowpack, helping keep those species away from humans. However, the warmer conditions and less snow could also mean more people are traveling into bear country earlier than usual.

"Bears might go to places that they usually aren't, and people might be going to places where they usually aren't this time of year — in higher numbers," Wilson said. "I don't know if we're seeing that. I don't know if people are getting out and above, but I could see that being a potential."

It's unclear if this factored in a pair of high-profile incidents at Western national parks earlier this month. A 33-year-old Florida man was killed in a likely bear attack while hiking at Glacier National Park, while a man and a teen were injured in a bear attack while hiking at Yellowstone National Park.

It's also unclear how long the conditions will last in Utah, as storms typically become less frequent in late spring and early summer. Vegetation dries up much faster when there isn't snowpack around. It's then up to the summer monsoon to keep vegetation growth during the season.

Otherwise, more bears may begin wandering into lower-elevation areas in search of food, when human-bear interactions are more common.

Staying prepared

The recent attacks prompted the National Park Service to issue a bear safety reminder on Friday. In addition to searching for food, bears could also be protecting their cubs during the spring and early summer period, which is believed to have been the case in the Yellowstone incident.

"National parks are wild places, and wildlife safety is visitor safety," said Jessica Bowron, comptroller of the National Park Service. "Simple actions, like giving bears space, securing food and knowing what to do before you enter bear country, can protect visitors and bears."

While at least one attack involved a grizzly bear, and the second may have also been tied to the species, Wilson said it's important to also take black bears seriously, which is the species found in Utah.

Bear safety tips

• Properly store food, trash and scented items to avoid attracting bears to you or a campsite. Dispose of any trash carefully.
• Hike in groups when possible. Stay alert and avoid headphones on trails.
• Carry bear spray in areas where it is recommended and allowed.
• Make noise near streams, dense vegetation and blind corners.
• Never approach a bear.
• Never run from a bear.
• If you encounter a bear, stay calm, speak in a steady voice, back away slowly. Do not make sudden movements.
• People should report bear encounters to national park staff or state wildlife officials as soon as it is safe to do so.

More tips can be found on Wild Aware Utah's website.

Black bear attacks in Utah are rare, but not unheard of. A few have been reported in recent years. An 11-year-old boy camping in American Fork Canyon was killed in a bear attack in 2007, which remains the only known fatal bear attack in the state.

"Any time you're out in the wild, it's best to know your surroundings and what potential could be there," Wilson said, saying that sometimes that lower threat leads to complacency when it comes to safety. "It's like many things in life, it's not a real threat until it happens. But when it does, then it's real. ... It's better to have those precautions."

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

Related topics

Intermountain WestUtahOutdoors

Carter Williams

• 
• 

Carter Williams is a reporter for KSL. He covers Salt Lake City, statewide transportation issues, outdoors, the environment and weather. He is a graduate of Southern Utah University.