350-pound Black Bear Found Stuck Between Buildings in Pennsylvania
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.01.15
Hibernation may be over, but it seems that this black bear did not shed much of its weight. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, police and wildlife officers found a 350-pound black bear wedged between two buildings in Uniontown on Tuesday night, trying desperately to escape a game warden armed with a tranquilizer gun. Tyrone Washington, a resident who was among the first to spot the bear, said he initially found the large bruin wandering the streets.
“I was standing on my porch when I saw a big mass walking across the street, and as I got a little closer, I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s a big bear,’ ” Washington said. “It was crazy.”
Wildlife officials said it was likely that the bear came into town looking for food, although they noted that it’s rare for such incidents to occur so early in the year. Police eventually were able to corral the bear into a forest area away from people, but the animal fled and crossed a creek to a flower shop. With the arrival of a game warden, the bear tried to escape through a narrow alleyway between a hotel and another building, but quickly became stuck. The game warden took advantage of the opportunity to shoot the bear with a tranquilizer dart, but the bear managed to claw its way out before the drugs took effect.
The Uniontown Herald-Standard reported that the chase came to a close when the bear climbed a tree and stayed there. It was shot again with another tranquilizer dart, and eventually fell out of the tree. Spokespeople for the Pennsylvania Game Commission said the bear was removed and released into a forested area in Georges Township.
