Young bear tranquilized after jaunt through Uniontown
A young black bear crosses Winona Street in Uniontown Monday afternoon creating excitement for many city residents as it strolled through several Uniontown neighborhoods late Monday afternoon.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Pennsylvania Game Commission conservation officer Brandon Bonhin (left) and Uniontown police officer D.J. DeWitt maneuver through brush behind a Madison Avenue house to tranquilize the bear.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
After the bear was tranquilize, it was loaded into a game commission vehicle and taken to be released back into the wild.
A young bear was tranquilized after roaming near Pershing Court and later taking a break in a shady yard behind a vacant house on Wayne Street.
The bear was sighted at about 4 p.m. in the Uniontown neighborhood. It roamed the streets as onlookers chased after it, taking pictures and trying to catch a glimpse.
“There’s a bear in your backyard. Get back in the house,” Uniontown City Police Captain David Rutter said to a woman who had just stepped out onto her porch on Coolspring Street and promptly ran back inside.
The bear ran from house to house, down streets and into yards before hiding in brush at 71 Wayne St.
City police monitored the situation and advised people to stay away from the bear until a game commission officer arrived and tranquilized it with a dart at about 5:30 p.m.
Police said if a bear is sighted, call 911 and do not approach the bear.
“This is the time of year where sometimes a bear cub wanders off and gets confused,” said Uniontown City Police Lieutenant Tom Kolencik. “Don’t attempt to chase or feed them, and they will wander back into their environment.”
A Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officer took the tranquilized bear to the woods for release.