Bear cub spends afternoon in tree

"Wanderer" or "Wrangler" would probably be a good name for a yearling black bear that scaled a tall tree in a Frederick neighborhood Monday morning.

After almost five hours, the bear came down from the tree and wandered around. The animal found an apple tree in a nearby yard and ate.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources captured the bear by using an animal control pole. DNR officials placed the animal in a cage and took it to state forest area.

The ordeal began around 10:30 a.m. in the 1400 block of Key Parkway, where the 30-pound bear climbed into a tree.

At first, DNR officials considered darting the bear with a tranquilizer if it didn't come down. But they reassessed the plan because the bear was about 60 feet off the ground.

"He's too high up in the tree to dart," said Donnie Rohrback, a DNR Wildlife & Heritage Service biologist. "If we did that, I'm afraid he might fall out of the tree and hurt himself."

DNR preferred letting the bear wander off on his own for a few reasons. For one, only the bear knows where he came from, said Ben Smith, a wildlife technician for DNR's Wildlife & Heritage Service. If DNR were to transport him somewhere, the bear might end up in a hostile bear's territory.

Another reason for allowing the bear to roam free is so it can learn.

"He's really a teenage animal," Smith said. "This is probably his first encounter with people. He's got to figure where he can explore, where he can't."

The bear was likely out searching for food. In preparation for winter, bears eat 20 percent to 40 percent of their weight.

At this time of year, youngsters like this one get kicked out of their dens because the mother bear is focusing on breeding, Smith said.

People are not on their food chain, Smith said. Officials held little concern this bear would be aggressive, especially because this is his first encounter with the humans.

However, people need to learn a few things, Smith said. It's best for them to keep dogs indoors or away from bears.

They might also scale back on bird feeders. Once a bear finds a bird feeder, it might go back. Smith suggests putting feeders out only in the winter, when bears are hibernating.

If you see a bear, try to be quiet and stay back. Try to be calm so the bear can go about its way.

Smith believes this bear might have been the same one seen in a tree Sunday on Shookstown Road. In that instance, the bear came down from the tree and lumbered away.

Copyright 2008 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved.