Soapstone bear euthanized due to repeat visits to campgrounds, wildlife officials say

KAMAS — A black bear that’s been avoiding wildlife officials for nearly two weeks was captured and euthanized on Monday, making it the third black bear euthanization in less than two weeks.

On Thursday, Division of Wildlife Resources Northern Region Outreach Manager Mark Hadley confirmed to KSL that the bear was spotted on the night of Aug. 3 a mile east of Soapstone campground.

Hadley said the bear got into some trash that people left out in that nearby campground. Officials believed this was the same bear that frequently visited the Soapstone campground on July 23.

“We trapped the bear – a 2.5-year-old male – on Aug. 5,” Hadley said in a written statement. “Because a bear had repeatedly entered the Soapstone campground and this campground looking for food, we determined the bear was habituated to getting food from areas with people and euthanized it to keep people safe.”

After performing a necropsy on the bear, Hadley said they found its stomach filled with trash and food from the campsites.

“Our staff got into the wildlife profession because we love wildlife,” he said. “We enjoy managing and protecting animals so Utahns can get outdoors and enjoy them. Having to euthanize an animal is really hard and is not a decision we make lightly.”

DWR euthanizes bear in American Fork Canyon, citing safety policy

Hadley said that the campground is still closed.

DWR reminds campers to keep their campsites clean to avoid attracting a bear to them, which can create a dangerous situation for both the bear and the campers.

For more information about avoiding bear encounters, you can visit the DWR website.

Contributing: Lauren Steinbrecher, KSL TV