Bear Kills 11 Year Old Boy in Utah

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Bear killed after deadly attack on boy


Wildlife officers on Monday fatally wounded a bear they believed was the same animal that snatched an 11-year-old boy from his family's tent and killed the youngster.


The bear had been wounded early in the day and was pursued by hunters aided by a helicopter and 26 tracking dogs. It was described as a male, possibly 300 pounds and "jet black." Authorities were sure it was the right animal because the dogs had tracked its scent from the boy's camp site.

The bear was confirmed dead late Monday morning near the area where the boy was killed, said Lt. Scott White of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

The boy was sleeping alone in one section of the family's large tent late Sunday. He screamed before he was dragged away in his sleeping bag in a canyon about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, said sheriff's Lt. Dennis Harris.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070618/ap_on_re_us/bear_attack&printer=1


 
Very sad and tragic, but why did they kill the bear?
 
How sad, and I can't imagine what the family is going through right now.

I think that based on past information concerning American Black Bears predating on humans, once a bear kills a human for food they are likely to do it again. Wildlife officials may have felt they had no choice but to kill the bear they believed to be responsible. If they attempted to relocate the bear, no matter how far from where people live and vacation, the bear may have still found a human one way or another. Bears have wide territorial ranges as well, and the bear may have traveled back to where it came from despite being relocated.

Lion
 
How sad, and I can't imagine what the family is going through right now.

I think that based on past information concerning American Black Bears predating on humans, once a bear kills a human for food they are likely to do it again. Wildlife officials may have felt they had no choice but to kill the bear they believed to be responsible. If they attempted to relocate the bear, no matter how far from where people live and vacation, the bear may have still found a human one way or another. Bears have wide territorial ranges as well, and the bear may have traveled back to where it came from despite being relocated.

Lion

You're right. They are dangerous once they have killed a human, especially in an unprovoked attack.
 
Very sad and tragic, but why did they kill the bear?

It's probably a rule, once an animal kills a human you can't trust it not to attack again.

Sanibel Island has alligators that if you feed them, they have to be put to sleep, otherwise they equate humans with food.

Too bad...I can't figure out why the bear went after the boy in his tent!
 
I heard on a radio report at work that possibly the dry conditions and the lack of food for the bear may have been a factor.

Poor kid and poor bear!!
 
It's probably a rule, once an animal kills a human you can't trust it not to attack again.

Sanibel Island has alligators that if you feed them, they have to be put to sleep, otherwise they equate humans with food.

Too bad...I can't figure out why the bear went after the boy in his tent!
---Bears have dragged humans from tents many times before--they may have smelled food--In Alaska, that famous bear observer with the blond hair,he and his girlfriend were both dragged from their tent and both were mauled to death by a bear
 
Whenever we go camping, the first thing the guys do after setting up camp is to urinate in a perimeter around the campsite. And everytime the urge comes, one of the guys will just go in a spot around the perimeter that hasn't been "gone in" yet. Supposedly, this keeps bears & other animals away. I have no idea if it's true or if it's a myth, but some people I know swear by it!

This is a tragic story. I can't even imagine...
 
I almost read this out loud - glad i didn't - my scout son and his scout friend are sitting here. We leave for summer camp on Sunday. Going to Shaver Lake just north a ways from Fresno. I'm always worried about bears and other critters. Especially the snakes and there's supposedly a lot of them this year. I'm gonna be a nervous wreck the week.

No food allowed in tents. Bears and other critters even go for toothpaste and fruity smelling shampoo and stuff. We also make the boys put a fresh shirt on at night (since most like to sleep in their clothes) and wash the hands and face.

I've never heard of the urinating thing, but it's interesting.
 
---Bears have dragged humans from tents many times before--they may have smelled food--In Alaska, that famous bear observer with the blond hair,he and his girlfriend were both dragged from their tent and both were mauled to death by a bear
That guy was a fruitcake,IMO. Both of those deaths were tragic and careless. That poor girlfriend had no idea.
 
It's just that they were out in the woods, where the bear lives and eats. It's not like the bear roamed into their neighborhood. Unless there is something wrong with the bear, I don't see why it had to die. It was just doing what bears do. It's horrible and tragic, though. I feel badly for the family.
 
Whenever we go camping, the first thing the guys do after setting up camp is to urinate in a perimeter around the campsite. And everytime the urge comes, one of the guys will just go in a spot around the perimeter that hasn't been "gone in" yet. Supposedly, this keeps bears & other animals away. I have no idea if it's true or if it's a myth, but some people I know swear by it!

This is a tragic story. I can't even imagine...

I admit I know next to nothing on bears...

Eleven if it works maybe you can invent 'Bear-Be-Gone'! Your story made me laugh....I wonder if it really works or the guys just want a good spot to relieve their bladders.
 
We had a black bear roaming our neighborhood for awhile. I haven't heard of him coming around in the past year or so, but I'm scared to get out and walk around the block. Black bears aren't usually aggressive to humans but these kinds of attacks happen once in awhile and I don't want to be any critter's dinner.

So sad about the boy. :(
 
That guy was a fruitcake,IMO. Both of those deaths were tragic and careless. That poor girlfriend had no idea.
--fruitcake!--maybe that's what they were eating in the tent--but that can't be cuz nobody eats fruitcake...not even a bear
 
---Bears have dragged humans from tents many times before--they may have smelled food--In Alaska, that famous bear observer with the blond hair,he and his girlfriend were both dragged from their tent and both were mauled to death by a bear

Actually that guy - and his story is told in a fascinating documentary called Grizzly Man and he is indeed, as JBean pointed out, a fruitcake with a capital FRUIT - left his tent to go after the bear.

It is very rare - but not unheard of - for a bear to drag a sleeping person from a tent. Most bear attacks are the result of humans coming upon a bear or bears without warning when a bear is protecting her cubs or a food source.

It is true that when food conditions are low during the feeding frenzy that precedes hibernation, bears are more dangerous to humans. It is also true that bears who become habituated to humans and see them as a source of discarded food are dangerous bears.

A number of years ago (in the 80s, I think), 10-12 people were attacked and mauled by bears while they slept in their tents at night in a National Park in Banff.

I am a bit of a bear attack freak and have all the books! :D

My prayers to the family of this young boy. It's a terrible thing any way you look at it.
 
I almost read this out loud - glad i didn't - my scout son and his scout friend are sitting here. We leave for summer camp on Sunday. Going to Shaver Lake just north a ways from Fresno. I'm always worried about bears and other critters. Especially the snakes and there's supposedly a lot of them this year. I'm gonna be a nervous wreck the week.

No food allowed in tents. Bears and other critters even go for toothpaste and fruity smelling shampoo and stuff. We also make the boys put a fresh shirt on at night (since most like to sleep in their clothes) and wash the hands and face.

I've never heard of the urinating thing, but it's interesting.

I wonder if they did have food or something that smelled good in the tent?
 
It's just that they were out in the woods, where the bear lives and eats. It's not like the bear roamed into their neighborhood. Unless there is something wrong with the bear, I don't see why it had to die. It was just doing what bears do. It's horrible and tragic, though. I feel badly for the family.

A bear that kills a human being has to be killed. Wildlife official monitor bears closely. More often than not, a bear that attacks and kills a human has been relocated for dangerous behavior around humans (almost always related to food) a number of times.

I don't think anyone is ever happy about having to kill a bear - especially when stupid human behavior has contributed to the attack - but I understand why it has to be done.
 
A bear that kills a human being has to be killed. Wildlife official monitor bears closely. More often than not, a bear that attacks and kills a human has been relocated for dangerous behavior around humans (almost always related to food) a number of times.

I don't think anyone is ever happy about having to kill a bear - especially when stupid human behavior has contributed to the attack - but I understand why it has to be done.

Yes, it does. Any animal that has killed a human in an unprovoked situation is likely to do so again. We still have to protect human life over animal life. My dad has told me a lot about bears, he knows bear biologists and he hunts in the wilderness in the western U.S. Bears that have killed humans are dangerous ever after.

Eve
 
How awful! That poor little boy, what a terrifying way to die. His parents must be in horrible pain.


We have a cabin and now I'm going to be paranoid to let my ten year old out of my sight while we're up there. Don't get me wrong it's not like she goes off for a walk through the bushes on her own but if we're outside I have no problem running in and out of the cabin to get stuff for the BBQ....

Aren't black bears supposed to want to stay away from people??




Jubie
 

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