A a black bear yearling like this was removed from a tree in downtown Monroe last Friday, Aug. 14. (Public Domain photo by Tom Bergman via wikimedia.org.)
On Friday, Aug. 14, state Environmental Conservation officers responded to Mill Pond in the Village of Monroe for reports of a bear in a tree in a busy part of the community.
When the officers arrived, they found what appeared to be a yearling bear about 50 feet up a tree.
The Monroe Police Department, already on site, assisted with public safety.
After a short time, the bear descended the tree and began to run along Mill Pond before climbing another tree along a busy road.
DEC wildlife staff members Matt Merchant, Deena Brabant-Oatman, and Jonathan Russell responded, tranquilized the juvenile bear and removed it from the tree.
With help from Monroe Police Chief Darwin Guzman and Sergeant Patrick Tenaglia, DEC officers and staff were able to weigh, measure, and tag the juvenile bear before it was transported to nearby state lands and released unharmed.