LOVELAND, Colo. (KDVR) – A bear caused some concern in Loveland last week when it was seen meandering through a neighborhood. Not long after that, the same furry suspect was found in a parking lot tree, requiring the extraction efforts of wildlife officials.
On Friday, June 24, officials with CPW arrived at the bear-holding tree in the Safeway parking lot, located at North Wilson Avenue and Highway 34.
The 2-year-old female bear had scaled the tree in the Safeway parking lot and was not coming down. The entire rescue effort was caught on camera by CPW.
In the footage, bystanders can be seen gathering nearby.
The nearly 7-minute video from CPW also shows:
- The bear’s tranquilizing
- Her gradual extraction from the tree
- Her transfer to a nearby transport carrier
- The application of the reversal medication for the tranquilizer
- Her release back into the wilderness
“With the help of our wildlife technics and intern… we were able to safely get the bear out of the tree and into this transport carrier here and are about to release it deep into the forest here,” CPW manager Chase Rylands said.
The moment the transport carrier door opened, the sow ran for the hills.
“This will be the best chance for it to have a nice long wild bear life and hopefully, it will be able to stay out of getting into conflicts with humans,” Rylands said. “Everybody wish some luck to this bear and wish it a long and wild life.”
This point is sharpened by another CPW occurrence that was reported Friday morning, when a bear that the agency had attempted to rehabilitate, ended up breaking into a Teller County home, leading to its euthanization.
Be sure to help other members of the bear population avoid meeting the same fate and bear-proof your home with tips given by CPW.
The drought mixed with the late spring freeze has impacted its food sources, which will likely lead to an increase in their encroachment into residential areas.
