Bear Rescued, Relocated After Being Stuck On Tree For Nearly 24 Hours In Arkansas

A black bear was rescued and relocated after being stuck on a tree for nearly 24 hours. The incident took place at Southwest Little Rock, Arkansas, Tuesday (May 19).

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission responded to reports of a bear in at Southwest Little Rock Monday. When they arrived at the scene, they located a young bear on a tree and attempted to rescue it. They waited for the bear to get down low enough to tranquilize it.

The bear eventually climbed down from the tree at around 10 a.m. (11 a.m. EDT) Tuesday after which, authorities shot her with a tranquilizing dart and safely moved her into a live trap to relocate the young bear.

Keith Stephens, an official from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stated that the bear was around two years old. He also mentioned that it was unusual for a female bear to have found its way into the neighborhood.

“A little bit shocking, she probably just got lost,” said Stephens while adding that mother bears force their cubs out of the den at around this time of the year in order for them to learn to live on their own due to which, they sometimes accidentally end up getting close to human habitat.

He also mentioned that they have recently had their hands full responding to calls about bears in the area.

“Arkansas was actually known as the bear state at one time because we had so many bears. This happens every year around this time,” he added.

Officials also checked the bear to make sure she wasn’t injured, after which the bear was successfully relocated.

“We try to make that whole experience uncomfortable, they get darted, they fall out of the tree, its painful, they don’t come back and we don’t have any problems with them. Now she’s going to go out and hopefully live a long life out in the Ouachita mountains,” Stephens added.

In a similar incident, a bear was relocated after it was found to be too close to residents in Whitehall, Arkansas on May 3. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission officials tranquilized the bear which was perched about 60 feet high in the tree. It reportedly did not suffer any injuries from the fall and was later released in a remote area.