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Utah’s bears are out in force this year, so clean up and don’t feed them

Hey, Utahns, stop feeding the bears. Or leaving food where bears can get it, at least.

That's the word from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, which reports that the number of bear incidents has more than doubled this year.

In June, a black bear — the only species found in Utah — was captured and killed after it got into a tent and scratched a boy in Hobble Creek Canyon east of Springville. (The boy was not seriously injured.) Within days, a second bear was seen in Springville, and a third was captured and relocated after it was seen eating out of garbage cans in Mapleton.