After Multiple Sightings, Tracy Bear Finally Captured In Front Of Large Crowd
TRACY (CBS13) — A female bear spotted roaming the streets of Tracy multiple times in recent days has been captured after it was found in a tree.
Wildlife officers tranquilized the bear before it fell to the ground as hundreds of neighbors looked on.
It's not every day you see a large sleeping bear fall from a tree in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Hundreds of people showed up for the unusual sight and cheered as fish and wildlife crews made the tricky catch with a tarp.
"When the bear fell everyone just started screaming 'Oh my god is it dead, is it dead?'" said Janesah Mesones.
Loree Sotelo came out of her house on Wednesday afternoon to the neighborhood kids yelling that a bear was in a tree. Her son even snapped a selfie.
As word spread, more and more people showed up, filling the neighborhood streets, armed with cellphones and cameras to capture every nail-biting moment.
It took three tranquilizer shots to put the adult bear to sleep, but it took hours for her to finally let go of the tree and drop to the ground.
Days before the bear ended up in a tree, there were several sightings around Tracy. But each time police arrived, the bear had moved on without a trace.
"When I heard there was a bear in Tracy I thought people were kidding," Mesones said.
Once the bear was lowered and crews were sure it was safe, the crowd moved in to grab one last shot of a bear in deep slumber.
The bear is expected to be OK and will be released either somewhere in Marin County or the Yosemite area. The bear will be tagged indicating it had been captured in the past.