160-pound napping bear lured out of tree in Elizabeth neighborhood with donuts and sweets
ELIZABETH, New Jersey (WABC) -- A bear was stuck up in a tree in an Elizabeth neighborhood for hours on Monday until officials could lure it down into a trap with the help of some donuts and sweet treats.
The bear had been spotted roaming the neighborhood before it climbed about 40 feet up into a tree.
Concerned residents called authorities to a tree on the 600 block of Court Street, but New Jersey Fish and Wildlife said it was too risky to use a tranquilizer gun to get it down.
If they tranquilized it, the fall could have injured the bear or one of the people trying to get it down.
While monitoring the bear, authorities brought in a large cage trap. They used day-old donuts, peanut butter, apples and caramel spray inside the cage.
The sweet treats worked like a charm and the bear walked into the trap.
The bear was sedated and transported from the area with assistance from emergency personnel on scene. The 160-pound bear will be relocated to the wild.
New Jersey Fish and Wildlife said their current protocol is to not respond to bear calls unless the bear is actively behaving aggressively toward people.
However, residents said they believed they spotted a younger bear with the one up the tree in the neighborhood earlier in the morning, and they were responsible for knocking over a few garbage cans.
Court Street was blocked off while the team readied the bear for transport.
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