Rural Freeway Shut Down for Bear Crossing in Utah

You most likely know why the hen crossed the highway, however why did the bear? To get to the opposite facet, after all. A fortunate bear had a quick police escort to get throughout a rural freeway in Utah.

Earlier this week, somebody contacted native regulation enforcement after seeing a black bear in a cemetery close to Ephraim, Utah, 115 miles south of Salt Lake Metropolis. They have been involved that the bear was heading towards close by U.S. Route 89. The Ephraim Metropolis Police Division despatched officers to shut the two-lane highway and permit the bear to cross safely. The division uploaded a video of the interplay on its Fb web page.

The video begins with the black bear rising from the roadside. Then, it rigorously makes its manner throughout the pavement, wanting each methods till crossing the double-yellow line and sprinting to the opposite facet. After the footage ended, the bear climbed over a small barrier fence and was tailed by an officer from Utah’s Division of Wildlife Sources till it reached relative security within the mountains.

In a 2018 challenge of the scientific journal Behavioral Ecology, a printed research discovered that American black bears can comprehend the dangers of crossing roads. Bears monitored in Minnesota had elevated coronary heart charges when crossing roadways and formed their actions primarily based on visitors. They sensibly traversed busier roads at night time whereas strolling throughout calmer roads in the course of the day.

As an Eagle Scout, this might be the place I’d advise you on the hazards of interacting with black bears. For instance, black bears can run as much as speeds of 35 mph, so you need to by no means attempt to run away from one on foot. Although, if you’re behind the wheel of a automotive, you’re the hazard. Site visitors collisions are one of many main causes of black bear deaths in america.