This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A black bear apparently looking for a snack helped itself to nectar and peanuts at a cabin in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Monday.
The bear, a female approximately 2 years old, was tranquilized and relocated to an unpopulated area several miles away, according to Scott Root, an outreach manager for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Root said the bear probably was hanging around the river when it caught the smell of nectar in a hummingbird feeder and of peanuts in a five-gallon bucket on the back porch of a cabin.
A wildlife officer responding to a call about the bear monitored its movements — which included napping and moving around outside a stretch of cabins in the area — until a team from the division arrived, Root said. The bear had gone at least partway inside the cabin where the peanuts were, he said.
The team, which included Root, sneaked up on the bear.
As the bear caught sight of the humans, "it stared at us," Root said. The animal was then shot with a tranquilizer dart.
The bear ran for about 200 yards before the tranquilizer took effect. The officers carried it in a tarp to a truck, then placed the bear in a trap before giving it a drug to reverse the effects of the tranquilizer.
The bear was relocated because it did not show aggression, Root said. The animal was marked with red paint so it can be identified in the future.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC