Firefighters to the rescue as bear gets stuck up tree

Cats stuck up trees are no problem for the firefighters of California. Bears are another matter.



The troubles began when the officers in Oxnard, California, discovered a 90-kg bear in their station car park. They chased it through apartment block gardens and through a condominium complex, where it climbed a tree. It came down and fled to the Santa Clara cemetery, where it sought refuge in another tree.



California Department of Fish and Game officials arrived at the scene where they shot the bear with tranquiliser darts. The firefighters cut away branches to get access to the sedated animal, while branches under the bear's stomach prevented it from falling to the ground. A harness was attached and the bear was hoisted to safety by a truck ladder.