This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It is a fact that most tragic bear encounters with humans involve bears that have lost their fear of people.
I have been around grizzlies and black bears in areas far away from human encroachment. It has been my personal experience that these bears do not want anything to do with us; a little curiosity maybe, but they really don't want trouble.
I was a camp cook 18 miles into the Bridger-Teton Wilderness area of northwestern Wyoming. I smelled like food every day, but I wore coveralls which I left in the cook tent. Although the hunters and other guests would see bears almost daily, the bears never came closer than a few yards of the cooking area (tracks in the snow tell all). This is in part because of strict garbage control, a few yappy dogs and the fear of humans that a truly wild bear has.
The adage goes that "a fed bear is a dead bear." Unfortunately, sometimes a fed bear is also a dead human. As long as humans are careless with trash, food storage and litter, there will be wildlife - and in some cases humans - that suffer.
The young boy who was killed recently in American Fork Canyon was, in fact, killed because of irresponsible behavior by previous campers. People who visited that area prior to the attack provided a reason for this bear to return, look for food, then ultimately attack this boy. I believe that the attack had very little to do with what the boy had in his tent.
I have heard people say that the bear was doing what was "natural." There was nothing natural about the whole ordeal.
Rick Wagner
Park City