Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah — Last Wednesday afternoon, between 1:15 and 1:30 p.m., a man was running on the Mill D North Fork Trail. It was a peaceful run until he encountered a female black bear. As one should do in such a situation, the man stretched his arms to make the bear look bigger. No cubs were reportedly around the area during this situation.
Scott Root, who’s the conservation outreach manager for Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources (Utah DWR), described how the encounter went to KSL News:
“And it proceeded to bluff, charge him a couple of times. As he was backing up to get away from the situation a little bit, he tripped on a log, fell backward, and that’s when the black bear lunged at him and bit him on the upper arm, on the tricep area, leaving him with puncture wounds.”
After kicking the bear, the jogger was able to get away. The trail runner then began his way back to the trailhead. AllTrails user Elizabeth G. described her encounter with the man after the bear attack in a one-star review of the Desolation Lake via Mill D North Fork and Desolation Trail:
“A man was running down the trail bleeding because he got attacked and bit by an aggressive black bear. We turned around. BE CAREFUL!! AGRESSIVE BLACK BEAR!”
The man drove himself to the hospital. While he sustained puncture wounds, the runner didn’t suffer severe injuries. Per state laws, Utah DWR captured the bear that evening, thanks to tracking tech, and was euthanized. Since the bear attack, no other AllTrails users have reported bear sightings on the trail.
Click here to learn more on what to do if you’re involved in a bear encounter.
Image/Video Credits: Wild Aware Utah (Featured Image), KSL News
