A black bear causing a stir in Moab by wandering near an elementary school and through neighborhood yards was captured and relocated last Thursday. According to KUTV, the bear was first seen at 2:15 a.m. near 229 McGill Boulevard; officials later announced the roughly nine-year-old female was safely released into the Abajo Mountains.
The sighting near Helen M. Knight Elementary prompted a response from local law enforcement, and while the bear eluded capture for almost a full day, the Moab City Police Department maintained that it posed no immediate danger. Still, they cautioned residents against approaching the animal and encouraged reporting any sightings to authorities, according to ABC4. The bear's escapade came to an end when a resident spotted her on Chinle Avenue that evening, and Utah Department of Natural Resources officials were able to sedate her in a tree despite the challenge of doing so in a residential area.
Officials from the Utah Department of Natural Resources managed the situation from Monticello, where they tranquilized the bear in a tree before its subsequent fall, as it dropped into an adjacent yard, reported Gephardt Daily. Biologists involved in the process determined her age, contributing to the decision on where to release her back into the wild.
"State wildlife officials responded from Monticello and successfully sedated her in a tree, causing her to fall into an adjacent yard," the Moab City Police Department shared, as obtained by Gephardt Daily, emphasizing the success of the operation which allowed for the bear's safe capture and eventual release, emphasizing cooperation among departments and the importance of public safety while managing wildlife incidents.
