Tranquilised bear comically falls from tree

A large black bear who wandered up into a tree at the University of Colorado - Boulder, is again safe after wildlife department officials managed to get him out of a sticky situation. The 90kg male was seen ambling around a residence hall area before he attempted to scale a tree. The wildlife officers tranquilised the bear while he was up in the branches and, after a short wait, the bear safely landed on his back.



The bear had spent the better part of the day on campus, students said, and climbed about 4.5m into a tree near university dormitories. Wildlife officials shot two darts into the bear at about 10am. University police spokesman Ryan Huff said that they chose to sedate him because of his close proximity to students and the potential danger that held.

"He was just resting up in the tree probably for a good two hours," Mr Huff said. In preparation for the bear's tumble, wildlife officials set up a large black mat under the tree. Photos and video capture the bear free-falling onto the mats. His paws were comically outstretched as he fell through the air.


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For a few minutes, the bear was allowed to rest on the mat and looked dazed, if not comfortable. Fifteen minutes later workers then moved the creature into a large cage. Jennifer Churchill, a spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said that the woozy bear was tagged and released in the mountains west of Boulder.