11 yr old boy KILLED by black bear in Utah

11 yr old boy KILLED by black bear in Utah

www.foxnews.com

The boy, his mother, stepfather and a 6-year-old brother were sleeping in a large tent in a primitive camping area, about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

The stepfather heard a scream, and the boy and his sleeping bag were gone. A host from a nearby campground contacted police.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Last night around 11pm, a black bear tore into a family's tent and yanked Jake out of the tent, took him out and killed him.
This happened up in American Fork Canyon at the Timpanooke campground. This bear had already been causing trouble in this campground and wildlife resources KNEW this black bear was acting dangerous around humans, and this should NOT have been allowed to happen.

Today this bear has been hunted down and killed, but I think it is a day late and a dollar short.

They SHOULD have been after this bear a week ago, with all the problems this very bear had been causing.

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)




[edit on 18-6-2007 by theRiverGoddess]

Really? I'm gonna have to be the 'tree hugging' environmentalist..
*Sighs in defeat.*


Ok, yes it's sad the kid died, but what reason is there to kill the bear.

The bear was born there, and it was only following it's nature.

I'm all for people living with nature and stuff, but they should know the risks, and really,
you reap what you sow.

Originally posted by iori_komei

Ok, yes it's sad the kid died, but what reason is there to kill the bear.

The same reason they kill dogs that kill chickens.

It solves a problem that otherwise won't go away.

You can't negotiate with bears.

Now thats just uncalled for. It is not usual nature for bears to go ripping into tents and killing small children. It is possible that hte bear had cubs and that the family wandered into her turf and she was defending her territory. But dont start just running out killing all the bears. There was also a little girl that was attacked by a shark yesterday too, seems like the animals may be forcasting some significant event. They do start acting unusual before a major event. I will pray for the family of the little boy. It is a terrible loss.

I believe Grady was just stating the reality of the situation.
If a bear finds that humans are quick meals, he/she is apt to try again.
It's a real shame that it happened, and it will be a shame that the bear has to die.
It's not a revenge killing, it's for public safety.

Well if the bear was causing trouble, they should've warned everyone about it. Also, if you camp out where there's bears, you should know of the risks.

Last but not least, RIP to the little boy.

Russian Soldier is right....they SHOULD have had warning signs up about this bear because earlier in the week they were trying to catch it from a helicopter, believing it was causing so many problems because it was WOUNDED The next day they were tracking the bear via dogs but he was willey and alluded the dogs and trackers.....................they KNEW this was an animal that was in DIRE NEED of containment and capture....................

WHERE were the 'wounded bear' signs in the area warning campers of this danger??????? Why were the camp grounds NOT CLOSED because of BEAR DANGER???????????
This campground is less than 31 miles from Salt Lake City, and yet only 15 miles out of Provo..NOT KNOWN for a 'bear danger' normally..........these are VERY metropolis cities and a vast number of people could have been headed to the area easily..................THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN WARNINGS, plain and simple.......

I smell a HUGE lawsuit coming.....................and rightly so
They straight up knew a VERY DANGEROUS bear was prowling the area.

[edit on 19-6-2007 by theRiverGoddess]

[edit on 19-6-2007 by theRiverGoddess]

Originally posted by theRiverGoddess
I smell a HUGE lawsuit coming

Lawsuit?

They weren't staying at the Holiday Inn.

Bears exist and they are all capable of the same thing.

The same with big cats.

Anyone who goes camping is responsible for his own protection.

but Grady the Department of wildlife resources are the ones who wounded this bear in the 1st place.....................then failed to wrangle him into safty, and then did NOTHING to warn campers over the fathers day weekend..........

I see neglegence here, am I wrong?

Oh my god !!

Hurricane's in Florida?!

Tornado's in Oklahoma?!


and now bears in the woods?!


I should write my Congressman.

I'm really torn TRG. I lived here all my life - encountered everything from moose to cougars but bears are usually a once in a lifetime, fleeting encounter. Regardless of that fact, I think too many of us are getting complacent that the wild is just that - wild.

But with that said, DWR knew they had a bear that wasn't afraid of people in that area and should have sent the camp hosts around to FYI the weekend campers. God knows they will track you down if you forget to pay your fees, so getting the word out should have been a no-brainer. DWR should have also sent in the government trappers to tranq and relocate the animal. Instead of moving a pest bear, we now have a child dead and an animal that had to be put down.

My heart goes out to the child's family. I think all of us who enjoy the mountains here will keep our kids just a bit closer when we are out hiking this summer.


Bleys

Originally posted by theRiverGoddess
Russian Soldier is right....they SHOULD have had warning signs up about this bear because earlier in the week they were trying to catch it from a helicopter, believing it was causing so many problems because it was WOUNDED

Black Bears are common in the US but they are normally the more timid of the two types of bears found here. All bears are opportunistic hunters, meaning that if they can get a free meal they will certainly go into human turf to acquire it. You certainly cannot warn everyone every time a bear shows up in a campsite looking to scavenge food. If you are a camper, you should be aware of the dangers of the situations involved in camping, or not be in the woods to begin with.

The reason that the bear went after a human in this particular instance is due to food shortage, as mentioned in the article. As I said above a Black Bear is normally going to run from a human, however; if it is truly hungry or sick, it will attack you. The bad thing about Black Bears in particular is that once they decide to stalk a human, they will not quit until fought off. Though Grizzly’s (also called Brown Bears), are the more powerful and aggressive bears, there are a number of things that you can do to fend off an attack from one of these. Playing dead (curling into the fetal position and covering your head) is the often talked about way to stop a Brown Bear attack, and it will sometimes work with them, however this tactic will not effect a Black Bear in the slightest.

Anyway, rather then putting down every bear in the country, it’s more viable for folks to understand them when they visit their turf, show the proper respect, and follow the correct rules. Food should never be left in the campsite, and should be in a bear proof container strung from a tree limb at least 13 feet off the ground, outside camp. Left over food should similarly be disposed of out of the sleeping area. You should also always wash the food scent from yourself before climbing in the tent for the night. Campers in bear country should have “Bear Bells” on when trekking, and should carry “Bear Spray” at all times.

I truly feel bad for the family and my heart goes out to them, but I don’t think that there was much more that the rangers could have done in this case.



Oh, BTW, if you ever cross a bear in the woods, do not look him in the eye, that is considered a sign of aggression, and they will charge you; also never turn your back, or run as then you become pray to them. Walk away backwards while still facing it, and make as much loud noise as you possibly can.

Originally posted by theRiverGoddess
Last night around 11pm, a black bear tore into a family's tent and yanked Jake out of the tent, took him out and killed him.
.................

This is very tragic. I wonder if the kid was eating some candy or some other sweet stuff, or food which could have attracted the bear?

The wilderness can be very dangerous, and when you least expect it something like this can happen.

I spend a lot of time in the wilderness exploring and hiking, and I never leave without my bear pepper spray, and my Kimber .45. I am sure glad there is an open-carry policy in Wyoming, and I hope it stays that way.

Bears are not the only problem out here in the wilderness, snakes, and even moose among other animals can be extremely aggresive out here.

Originally posted by defcon5
.............
Anyway, rather then putting down every bear in the country, it’s more viable for folks to understand them when they visit their turf, show the proper respect, and follow the correct rules. Food should never be left in the campsite, and should be in a bear proof container strung from a tree limb at least 13 feet off the ground, outside camp.
..............

I don't think anyone is advocating the annihilation of all bears.

The problem here is that once a bear has a taste for human meat, it will difinetely attack other humans whenever it has a chance to feed again from human meat, this is a good reason for killing bears and other animals who kill people.

[edit on 20-6-2007 by Muaddib]

The only thing that bothers me about this story is the death of the bear.
I don't understand why it couldn't be relocated to another area

As humans encroach into the natural habitat of these wonderful animals you have to expect a few of us to get eaten.

The bear was just doing what nature intended.

This is a sad story indeed. I personally would never take my children camping in bear country in a tent to begin with. With nothing but a tent around you you might as well be laying out in the open in a sleeping bag. 8 or 9 hours is a long time to lay there asleep not knowing where the bears are. No way would I do it.

Why do people always have to find people to blame?
Yes it is a very tragic and depressing thing and my condolences to the family
But it happened and no one can change it , so why does somone have to be blamed when all it was ,was a coincidence , the family being at the wrong place at the wrong time :bash:

[edit on 21-6-2007 by Disgustipated]

Originally posted by Muaddib
This is very tragic. I wonder if the kid was eating some candy or some other sweet stuff, or food which could have attracted the bear?

I did not say it in what I wrote above because I could not think of a nice way to write it, but the first thing that sprung into my mind when I read the article was that he had food, or the scent of food, in the tent.

Originally posted by Muaddib
The problem here is that once a bear has a taste for human meat, it will difinetely attack other humans.

Yeah, I understand why you have to put that bear down after the attack, I was simply explaining why they did not put him down prior to the attack.

Originally posted by anxietydisorder
The only thing that bothers me about this story is the death of the bear.
I don't understand why it couldn't be relocated to another area

Because, as Muaddib pointed out above your post, once a bear associates people with being pray, it will continue to attack them