Residents questioning whether police should have euthanized bear in Harrison
HARRISON, New York (WABC) -- In Westchester County, a bear sighting went from thrilling to traumatizing when police in Harrison euthanized the animal.
Their methods are sparking criticism and also possible change.
For nearly two hours, residents say the unexpected visitor was considered more of a curiosity than a threat.
A black bear was climbing walls and roaming through backyards in West Harrison.
Early in the day on Monday, June 2 there was a sighting near Sherman Avenue in West Harrison. That time the bear ran off into the woods.
But then, around 2:45 p.m., near Columbus Avenue and Madison Street, the bear was spotted going in between several backyards.
The Harrison Police Department, along with a uniformed officer from the New York State Environmental Conservation Police, responded and attempted to push the bear back into the woods.
Streets were closed off and residents were told to stay indoors.
"You could tell just by looking at him, anytime anyone with the police department got close, the bear was scared," resident Doug Puff said.
Harrison Police and officers from the Department of Environmental Conservation monitored the situation before moving in.
One officer had a long gun drawn.
Video from a local blog showed the mortally wounded bear climbing a tree, then falling to the ground.
The incident has left many wondering: was the deadly force necessary?
"Nobody likes to see this end up being the final outcome and an innocent animal being shot," Puff said.
"I understand making the decision they made, considering the environment that we're in and how close the houses are to each other and how many people are around. However, I think better preparation could be helpful," Alicia Terrana said.
In a statement, Harrison Police said the department was unable to obtain any tranquilization or trapping resources from Westchester County or private sources.
"The difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize the bear in the interest of public safety," the statement said.
But an animal rehabilitation group says a local wildlife company was willing to intervene.
"They did explain to the Harrison police department that they did have equipment to tranquilize the bear and to assist within 10 minutes. Harrison PD did say that they would get back to them. They never did," Stephanie Comez, with Gottage Wildlife Rehab, said.
Adding to the outrage, a photo on the blog appears to show an officer standing over the animal as if on a trophy hunt.
"The bear is in horrific condition and it's just so sad to see that and it's so sad to see somebody posing next to the body almost smiling," Briggitte Dix with Cottontail Cottage Wildlife Rehab said.
The DEC has issued its own statement saying, "It's environmental control officers, ECOS, determined that the bear should be left alone to leave the area on its own as it posed no immediate threat to residents."
It adding the ECOS advised the local police to take action if they believed the bear became a threat to public safety.
Harrison Police say they will be following up with the DEC and are exploring the possibility of having several cross-trained in animal tranquilization and trapping going forward.
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