Environews

Environews: Don’t feed the bears

By Amy Brunvand

In July the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources reported an unusually high number of calls about bears, probably because Utah’s growing population puts more people in wildlife habitat.

The Wild Aware website maintained by Hogle Zoo, Utah State University and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has information about how to co-exist safely with big, fierce animals. Bears are attracted to trash, pet food, bird feeders, compost, fruit trees, beehives and barbeque grills. Campers should never keep food stored on picnic tables or inside tents. Backpackers can use a bear-resistant food jar. (Note: I carry a BearVault which did keep a bear from getting my food.)

Wild Aware Utah

This article was originally published on August 6, 2019.