After a pursuit that lasted more than 24 hours, the black bear seen roaming throughout northwest Lancaster city and southern Manheim Township was tranquilized and captured by Pennsylvania Game Commission wardens on Thursday morning.
The final spot? A tree at a residence on West Chestnut Street in the city.
The bear had spent the day prior wandering around the area. It was spotted near State Street, Landis Avenue, Franklin & Marshall College’s Baker Campus, the Villa Nova restaurant in Lancaster city and eventually near Wegmans in Manheim Township. Game wardens followed the reports of the black bear but didn’t find it.
Late Wednesday, about 11 p.m., the bear was spotted in a tree in front of 819 Columbia Ave. in Lancaster city. Game Commission wardens were quick to respond, along with Lancaster Fire Department crews.
Wildlife conservation officers from the Game Commission fired several tranquilizers at the bear, but it managed to escape and took off toward Lancaster Township in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Then shortly before 7 a.m., the bear scampered up a tree in the backyard of a residence on West Chestnut Street. This time, wardens managed to subdue the bear, capture and tag it.Â
LNP followed up with the Game Commission with a few questions about what's next for the bear.
Black bear in Lancaster city tree [photos]
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city for about a day looks down from a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear and captured it safely and said it will be relocated in northern Dauphin County.
A black bear that was first spotted roaming Lancaster city streets Wednesday morning has been found again - this time in a city tree on Thursday morning.
A black bear that was first spotted roaming Lancaster city streets Wednesday morning has been found again - this time in a city tree on Thursday morning.
A black bear that was first spotted roaming Lancaster city streets Wednesday morning has been found again - this time in a city tree on Thursday morning.
State Game Warden Greg Graham surveys the scene where a black bear that was first spotted roaming Lancaster city streets Wednesday morning has been found again - this time in a city tree on Thursday morning.
A black bear spotted in a Lancaster city tree near Chestnut and Mary streets on Aug. 15, 2019.
Game wardens with the Pennsylvania Game Commission load a young black bear into a bear trap to transport it after tranquilizing and capturing the bear in a tree in Lancaster City, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The bear was spotted in the city starting Wednesday, and evaded capture early Thursday morning, before being caught around 10:30 a.m.
A sedated black bear lays on a tarp after being tranquilized and captured in the backyard of a Chestnut Street house on Thursday, August 15, 2019. The bear was spotted in the city starting Wednesday and evaded capture early Thursday morning before being caught around 10:30 a.m.
A sedated black bear lays on a tarp after being tranquilized and captured in the backyard of a Chestnut Street house on Thursday, August 15, 2019. The bear was spotted in the city starting Wednesday and evaded capture early Thursday morning before being caught around 10:30 a.m.
A game warden with the Pennsylvania Game Commission takes a measurement of the black bear that was tranquilized and captured in Lancaster City on Thursday, August 15, 2019. Bear sightings in the city began on Wednesday morning.
Game Warden Brian Sheetz shows a crowd of people the black bear's tooth, which the game commission will extract to get an exact age on the bear, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The bear was spotted several times on Wednesday and early Thursday around Lancaster city before eventually making its way into a tree in the backyard of a Chestnut Street home.
Game Warden Brian Sheetz shows a crowd of people the black bear's tooth, which the game commission will extract to get an exact age on the bear, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The bear was spotted several times on Wednesday and early Thursday around Lancaster city before eventually making its way into a tree in the backyard of a Chestnut Street home.
Game Warden Brian Sheetz, right, helps a young boy tag the black bear, which was tranquilized and captured in the backyard of a Chestnut Street house on Thursday, August 15, 2019. Sightings of the bear sprouted up Wednesday morning and the bear evaded capture earlier on Thursday, before finally being tranquilized around 10:30 a.m.
Game Warden Brian Sheetz, helps a young boy tag the black bear, which was tranquilized and captured in the backyard of a Chestnut Street house on Thursday, August 15, 2019. Sightings of the bear sprouted up Wednesday morning and the bear evaded capture earlier on Thursday, before finally being tranquilized around 10:30 a.m.
Game Warden Brian Sheetz, left, helps a young boy tag the black bear, which was tranquilized and captured in the backyard of a Chestnut Street house on Thursday, August 15, 2019. Sightings of the bear sprouted up Wednesday morning and the bear evaded capture earlier on Thursday, before finally being tranquilized around 10:30 a.m.
Game Warden Brian Sheetz, center, shows a crowd of people the tags that will be put in the bear's ears after the black bear that was caught roaming Lancaster city on Wednesday was finally captured Thursday morning, August 15, 2019.
Mason Montgomery, 5, right, holds out his hand to the bear's paw while Game Warden Brian Sheetz explains to crowd of people some of the interesting facts about the bear, that was caught and captured in Lancaster city on Thursday, August 15, 2019.
A sedated black bear lays on a tarp after being tranquilized and captured in the backyard of a Chestnut Street house on Thursday, August 15, 2019. The bear was spotted in the city starting Wednesday and evaded capture early Thursday morning before being caught around 10:30 a.m.
Lancaster city firefighters help the Pennsylvania Game Commission carry the black bear out the yard after it was tranquilized on Thursday, August 15, 2019. The bear had been roaming around the city for a day before it could successfully be captured.
A tranquilizer dart is seen in the back leg of a black bear that had been roaming around Lancaster city before eventually being captured in a tree behind a house on Chestnut Street, Thursday, August 15, 2019. The bear was about a year and a half and weighed 138 pounds.
A black bear was spotted in a tree in the 800 block of Columbia Avenue in Lancaster on Wednesday night, August 14, 2019. Crews were planning to tranquilize the bear.
A black bear was spotted in a tree in the 800 block of Columbia Avenue in Lancaster city late Wednesday. A tranquilizer gun was fired twice to try to get the bear out of the tree.
A black bear was spotted in a tree in the 800 block of Columbia Avenue in Lancaster on Wednesday night, August 14, 2019. Crews were planning to tranquilize the bear.
Where is the bear going?
After an eventful couple of days, the black bear is headed to northern Dauphin County, said Dustin Stoner, information and education supervisor of the Game Commission.Â
Northern Dauphin County has two very large game lands, Stoner said, and the bear will probably be released in one of those areas.Â
How big is the bear?
Wildlife Conservation Officer Greg Graham said the bear was approximately 1 1/2 years old.Â
Brian Sheetz, another game warden, weighed the bear after it had fallen from the tree. He said the bear weighed about 138 pounds, which Stoner said is the typical size for a bear that age.Â
Why was the bear tagged?
Stoner said one of the duties of a wildlife management organization such as the Pennsylvania Game Commission is to estimate the population – and population trends – of wildlife.Â
One way the Game Commission keep tabs on the black bear population is to tag or tattoo black bears after they are captured.
According to a 2018 estimate made by the Game Commission, Pennsylvania is home to 18,000 to 20,000 black bears.Â
Tagging the bears is also helpful to gauge how many bears are killed during hunting seasons. Stoner said hunters are required by state law to present the bear to a Game Commission check-in station within 24 hours of killing the bear.Â
By doing so, the Game Commission is able to estimate how many bears are still populating the state.Â
Click here for bear hunting season details.Â
How many bears have been spotted in Lancaster County this year?
While Stoner didn't have an accurate number on how many bears have been spotted in Lancaster County this year, he said he doesn't often get reports from the area.Â
Black bears are not local to Lancaster County, he said. Black bears are typically found farther north – in Lebanon, Berks, Schuylkill and Dauphin counties.Â
But a bear could possibly make a living in Lancaster County, Stoner said, if it found enough food.Â
"Their gut and caloric needs" are what guide black bears, he said.Â
Bears wandering into densely-populated areas are becoming more common as the bear population is growing.Â
According to Stoner, the growth of the black bear population can be attributed to the increasing quality of black bear habitats. More food sources are also available, he said.Â
And, he said, most bear hunters haven't had much luck in previous seasons.Â
Why was the bear caught using tranquilizers and not a trap?
When attempting to capture a bear, the Game Commission can lure the bear into a trap or tranquilize it and move it into the trap.Â
Stoner said the bear in Lancaster city was tranquilized because of the large number of people nearby.Â
"If there are people nearby, the bear is less likely to go into the trap," he said.Â
Additionally, there was more urgency to trap the bear, Stoner said, as it could wander out into heavily-traveled roads.Â
If the bear was found in a more rural area, the Game Commission would likely use a trap instead.Â
Stoner said game wardens often lure black bears into traps by leaving food — often leftovers from local grocery stores, such as day-old doughnuts or cookies.Â
"Bears have a sweet tooth," he said.Â