This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Wildlife officials euthanized a black bear after it bit a camper in eastern Utah on July 4.
The man had been camping without a tent in Desolation Canyon and woke up with his head in the bear's mouth, according to Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) spokeswoman Robin Cahoon.
He was on a rafting trip with seven others, and the campers drove away the bear, Cahoon said. He suffered minor injuries and drove himself out of the canyon to get medical attention. No one else was hurt.
The man is from California, and is experienced with camping in the backcountry, Cahoon said.
Wildlife officials tracked down and killed the bear, an average-size adult male, on Wednesday, per DWR policy, which states that a bear is considered a threat to public safety if it "displays aggressive behavior toward humans."
"Corrective action in these situation requires that the offending bear be destroyed," the policy states.
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