Black Bear Kills 2 Ponies In Western Maryland: DNR

CLEAR SPRING, MD — A black bear was doused with pepper spray and hit with rubber bullets by state wildlife officials as it was tagged and released after killing two ponies in western Maryland. The adverse conditioning, as wildlife experts call it, also included blasting loud noise at the bear in an effort to teach it to stay away from that location.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources staff say the ponies were in a fenced enclosure near Clear Spring in Washington County last week when they were killed. The DNR's Wildlife & Heritage Service crews trapped a 204-pound male bear in the area. Because authorities could not be determined if that bear was the predator that killed the ponies, the bear was aversively conditioned and released on the Indian Spring Wildlife Management Area instead of being put down. The animal was ear-tagged for identification.

"This bear was heavily conditioned," Clarissa Harris of the Wildlife & Heritage Service, told the Cumberland Times-News.

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How DNR Traps, Tags Bears

The bear was sedated and then blindfolded to protect its eyes and to help keep the animal calm. Measurements taken included weight, gender, paw length and width and length from nose to tip of tail. A tiny premolar tooth was pulled to determine the bear's age and a blood sample was taken.

Sometimes bears are given ear tags, or chips similar to ones used for family dogs. In this case, the bear was fitted with a radio collar so she could be tracked.

Because it was a warm day, wildlife staff packed ice around the bear to help keep it cool while they collected the data. The bear was monitored until it woke up from sedation and able to run off on its own.

PHOTOS: Main image of black bear -- not the one captured in Maryland -- via Shutterstock; other photos of bear that was trapped courtesy of Maryland Department of Natural Resources