[Philmont] Utah Bear Killed

FYI.

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Utah hunters kill bear after fatal attack on boy

AMERICAN FORK CANYON, Utah (Reuters) - Hunters on Monday shot and killed
a black bear thought responsible for the mauling death of an 11-year-old
boy one day earlier in the rugged mountains in northern Utah, officials
said.

"The bear grabbed the sleeping bag with the boy in it," Scott Root,
conservation outreach manager with the Utah Division of Wildlife
Resources, said of the Sunday night attack.

Root said the boy's parents "heard the boy screaming and thought it was
an abduction."

It was the first fatal black bear incident in modern Utah history and
only three times previously had black bears even attacked humans,
according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

The boy's body was found about 400 yards from the his campsite, located
about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City .

"We wanted to get this bear. This was an aggressive bear out the norm,"
Root said.

Twenty-six dogs were brought in to find the bear in the steep, heavily
wooded backcountry of the Uinta National Forest.

Wildlife officials were notified of another bear incident early Sunday
in the same vicinity. Root said campers there "shot a gun and scared it
away" before packing up and leaving the area.

State wildlife officials said they believe the same bear was involved in
both incidents.

"Forensic tests will determine if it is the right bear. We feel we have
the right bear. Unfortunately the sad part is that we didn't get it
yesterday," said Jim Karpowitz, director, Utah Division of Wildlife
Resources.

American Fork Canyon is one of many popular camping, hiking and outdoor
recreation areas in the Wasatch Mountain range. Prior to this past
weekend's attack, several bear encounters were reported to state
wildlife officials.

Safety tips and warning signs about bears are routinely posted for the
public in and around the recreation areas where the attack occurred.

-END-

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Received on Wed Jun 20 16:59:36 2007