Young Bear Relocated After Causing Stir In Mapleton Neighborhood

MAPLETON, Utah – A young bear created some excitement in Mapleton Thursday morning.

Sergeant Tony Kropf of the Mapleton City Police Department said someone walking a dog first spotted the bear around 8:00 A.M. in the area of 1700 North 500 East. Police called a Division of Wildlife Resources officer and responded to the area. As they searched, someone else in the area of 600 North 800 East called to say the bear was getting into their garbage cans. Police spotted the bear and followed it into a nearby field. Clayne Weight was working in that field.

“The police said there was a bear out. I didn’t think anything of it. Then I looked up and here it was right here,” Weight said. “Was glad I had a pitchfork in my hands, I guess,”

The bear moved from a field into a church lawn. Kropf said it climbed about 20 feet up into a tree. People in nearby homes noticed all the activity.

“I’m like, what’s happening? Is there a fugitive or something?” said Whitney Clyde.

Clyde and her mother saw several police vehicles on the street near their home. They live next door to the church. They watched as a DWR officer shot the bear with a tranquilizer to bring it down from the tree.

DWR spokesperson Scott Root said bears like this one are often young and searching for food.

“These bears are younger bears. They’ve been kicked out of an area by mom so she can have more cubs. A lot of these younger bears might end up in campgrounds or in town and we simply will tranquilize and relocate those bears,” he said.

The bear was later relocated to a more secluded area by Thursday afternoon.