Wayward Bear Back in Forest After Visit to Town

A 300-pound male black bear lumbered through residential areas in Canyon Country until sheriff’s deputies and state Fish and Game officials tranquilized him and carted him back into the hills, officials said Wednesday.

Game wardens said the bear was “probably just foraging for food” Tuesday night when it was sighted by a resident near Sierra Highway and Dolan Way shortly before 10:30 p.m. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies said the bear appeared lost.

While deputies waited for game wardens to arrive, the bear led them on a low-speed chase that included a sheriff’s helicopter. The bear ambled down Soledad Canyon Road, a major thoroughfare, but caused no traffic problems because of the late hour.

Deputies attempted to shepherd the bear out of residential areas into the dry bed of the Santa Clara River, but finally decided it was safer for everyone that the animal be tranquilized and carried out.

“It was just unfortunate that somebody saw him because he probably would have wandered back into the hills,” said Patrick Moore, spokesman for the Fish and Game Department. He said black bears prefer to stay in mountain regions and are usually no threat to humans.

Despite the species’ docile reputation, the bear didn’t go easily. After a Fish and Game official fired two tranquilizer darts into the animal that appeared to have little effect on him, a deputy was sent to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Newhall for extra tranquilizer medication, Moore said.

According to Patty Fleetwood, spokeswoman for the hospital, Thorazine, a tranquilizer that is “nothing extra potent or exotic” was given to the deputy.

The drug succeeded in putting the bear into a semiconscious state. Eight deputies were needed to lift the still struggling animal into a truck for transportation back into the Angeles National Forest.

According to Moore, the plan was to drive the bear as deep into the forest as possible, but only six miles into the trip the bear regained consciousness and began stumbling around in the truck’s bed, trying to jump out while the truck was moving.

Fish and Game officials quickly stopped the truck and the bear hustled quietly into the forest.