By Utah News Staff · Originally published August 28, 2026 · 1 min read
AI-written from public sourcesWritten by Utah News AI and quality-checked before publishing.
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Utah is experiencing a record number of bear incidents as severe drought drives animals to lower elevations. State wildlife officials reported 168 incidents as of Tuesday, which is more than double the 83 incidents reported last year.
Key takeaways
Utah has seen 168 bear incidents as of Tuesday, more than double last year's total of 83.
Increased bear sightings in populated areas have been recorded.
Severe drought and damaged vegetation are driving bears to lower elevations for food.
Utah is seeing a record number of bear incidents as severe drought pushes animals into lower elevations, according to a report published August 28.
State wildlife officials said they had responded to 168 incidents as of Tuesday. This figure is more than double the 83 incidents reported during all of last year.
Officials stated that Utah has also recorded more bear sightings in populated areas than ever before.
Wildlife experts attribute the increase to warm spring weather followed by hard freezes that damaged vegetation. Because vegetation makes up approximately 90 percent of a black bear's diet, the damage has forced more bears to search elsewhere for food.
