RICHFIELD, Utah — The sight of a bear climbing a treein Richfield last week drew lots attention. Unfortunately for the bear, this was not the first time she had ventured near humans.
The bear had to be destroyed, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, since it had become a persistent nuisance.
Faith Jolley, DWR public information officer, said, "The bear was euthanized because this was its third time going into towns. It had originally gotten into a dumpster twice in Escalante. Then we relocated it, and it came back to Escalante and got into that same dumpster."
READ: Bear in tree prompts warning to Richfield residents
After that, the bear was relocated once more. It made a long loop, covering several hundred miles, which the DWR was able to follow because to the bear's GPS collar, which had been fitted during the previous instances.
The bear then ended up in Richfield last week.
“She kept going back to human developments and was becoming habituated, which can cause public safety concerns,” Jolley said.
The bear was confined in the tree it was spotted in by area law enforcement officers and DWR personnel until it could be tranquilized and removed. Once it was moved to a remote area, Jolley said it was euthanized.
The bear's arrival in town did not result in any injuries.
