Bear gets trapped in tree after crowd forms along busy road, Colorado officials say
A Colorado bear climbed up a tree and got stuck, officials said.
It wasn’t stuck because it didn’t know how to get down. The bear was stuck in the tree because a crowd of people gathered to watch, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said Thursday.
“A crowd formed and (Parks and Wildlife) officers were forced to rescue it,” officials said on Twitter. “This bear did nothing wrong. It’s unfortunate the bear couldn’t be left alone to wander off.”
The bear had climbed up the tree along a busy road in Colorado Springs, officials said.
Wildlife officials darted the bear with a tranquilizer but before it could take full effect the bear fell from the tree.
Once the bear was tranquilized, officials put a muzzle on the bear and restrained it.
“The cinnamon-colored black bear was then carried by officers to a waiting trailer,” officials said. “There they assessed its body weight and health, administered eye moisturizer, removed the hobbles and reversed the tranquilizer.”
The bear will be relocated in the mountains. Wildlife officials said that if the bear causes a problem or has to be handled again, it will have to be euthanized.
“Though still groggy from the tranquilizer, it’s a good sign to see it exhibiting this classic bear behavior,” officials said. “It should be fully alert when it’s released later.”
Bears have started to emerge from hibernation, and share space with a growing population of people in Colorado, according to Parks and Wildlife.
“Black bears are very wary of people and other unfamiliar things,” Parks and Wildlife officials said on their website. “Their normal response to any perceived danger is to run away or climb a tree.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Bear gets trapped in tree after crowd forms along busy road, Colorado officials say."