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Bear roams free at Montana airport, opens doors... automatically

Black bear captured near Great Falls International Airport in Montana, Monday May 23, 2011 KRTV

(CBS/AP) GREAT FALLS, Mont. - Most flight delays at America's sprawling metropolitan airports are due to bad weather, along with the occasional security scare and maintenance matters.

Then there's the Great Falls International Airport in Montana, where police and wildlife officials all had a hand in capturing and removing a black bear who was wandered by.

It happened in the wee hours Monday. Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials say the young bear had been running in front of the terminal doors. The animal's antics caused the motion detectors to open the doors, but the bear stayed outside.

Great Falls police called warden Brett Logan, who found the bear in a tree near the west end of the terminal. Logan tranquilized the bear and it was taken out of town to a remote location.

Wildlife officials say the rising waters from nearby rivers may have forced the bear into the area of the airport.

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