Another Michigan black bear sighting - this time in a Mt. Pleasant tree
Photo courtesy of City of Mt. Pleasant.
(FOX 2) - Another black bear sighting in Michigan is a reminder about their possibly growing numbers in the Lower Peninsula.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources responded to the sighting of a black bear in Mt. Pleasant.
It was spotted in a tree at the intersection of Fancher and Mosher.
Zoom out:
The bear, later found to be 150 pounds, was safely captured and relocated to a northern Michigan swamp, the DNR said on Tuesday.
The agency partnered with Mt. Pleasant police and firefighters to isolate the bear before tagging it and moving it to Houghton Lake.
The bear fell 18 feet after being tranquilized, falling onto a thick pole vault pad that had been borrowed from the local high school.
"Sometimes bears wander in and out of developed areas, but this one was so far inside the city limits that we thought it best to intervene and take the bear out of this situation in a safe manner," said Mark Boersen, a DNR wildlife biologist who participated in the effort.
Dig deeper:
Black bears are native to Michigan with approximately 2,100 that live in the Lower Peninsula. Another 10,000 reside in the Upper Peninsula.
Among the most curious sightings is a possible black bear in Flat Rock, which would represent the furthest south a black bear has been in Michigan in decades.
Caught on home security video, the Wayne County sighting came with a similar request for individuals that see the animal to avoid it.
Southeast Michigan black bear: Officials on the hunt in Flat Rock area
A black bear is on the loose downriver and several Southeast Michigan police departments are on alert as well as state wildlife officials.
The Source: The city of Mt. Pleasant and previous reporting was cited for this story.