
Unusually venturing far off its mountainous sanctuary, an adolescent black bear recently played out a high-stakes drama in front of widespread audiences in Salt Lake City, Utah, staging a decidedly ungraceful exit right on the streets at Capitol Hill’s base. After being tranquillized by wildlife officials, the two-year-old male bear tumbled a jarring twenty feet from a tree about as elegantly as one might expect while under heavy sedation.
The stage was set for a clash between the wild and the urban on this particular Wednesday morning when the wandering bruin was spotted in the neighborhood. Not quite a seasoned mountain climber yet, the young bear clambered up one of the city’s street-lined trees, perched way above the ground.
Adventures in bear relocation played out in view of the initiated, admittedly too late to rescue the bear from a spectacular tumble. However, despite their earnest efforts, they missed the chance to cushion the animal’s descent. The furry intruder landed roughly on the asphalt underneath but – showing off the sturdy stuff its species is made of – managed to walk it off.
Scott Root, a wildlife spokesperson, noted that they worked hurriedly to align a truck beneath the leafy chimera in vain hope of breaking the juvenile bear’s fall. To the relief of all involved, the young bear survived its mishap.
Authorities not only examined the bear to ensure that none of its health stats spelled any bad news, but they also re-released it into the mountain habitat it was familiar with. There, amidst the rugged wilderness, the creature will have a second chance to navigate its surroundings climb trees without such a devastating aftermath.
In an intriguing behind-the-scenes narrative, the Salt Lake City Fire Department and parks division had joined forces to muster up trucks equipped with ladders and buckets, with the intent to dismantle this living, breathing spectacle from the tree. Nonetheless, their noble attempts resulted in a no-show, a clear miss.
As Faith Heaton Jolley, another wildlife spokesperson explained, the ladders had to wait as they didn’t want to scare the bear higher into the tree. Only after the black bear had been tranquillized were they able to try assisting. Just a blink later, the bear was in a tubular cage, given a universal antidote to speed up wakefulness, and had its ear marked with a radio tag to track its whereabouts.
Residents, curious to witness the extraordinary incident, had congregated a few blocks off downtown. Many gasped as the bear succumbed to gravity, smacking onto the hard ground. But Root, ever the seasoned bear-watcher, reassured them. Bears have a penchant for resilience, and have been known to recover comfortably from similar falls in previous instances.
In Utah, black bears, the only local species, usually break free from their winter hibernation by mid-March, and then typically keep to themselves. Despite the mountainous vistas bordering the city close, they have seldom frequented City life. Jolley suggested the bear might’ve been on the hunt for food or water, primarily driven off its typical forage grounds due to drought-ridden conditions.