Giant Bear Captured In Lakewood By Police, Wildlife Officials

LAKEWOOD, WA - Police and firefighters removed a massive black bear from a Lakewood neighborhood Mondady morning. The bear was tranquilized, placed inside a bear cage, and will be released back into the wild, according to West Pierce fire. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife executed the tranquilizing.

According to Lakewood police, the bear was on the loose around 9 a.m. Monday, and was captured at a home along the 8700 block of John Dower Road, which is just a few blocks north of Steilacoom Boulevard.

The bear was shot twice with tranquilizer darts. After the first shot, the bear ran up into a tree. State wildlife officials shot the bear again, and he tumbled from the tree into a tarp. Typically, state wildlife officials will release a bear at least 50 miles from where it was found. Bears are usually released deep in the Cascades.

Wildlife officials also used a specially trained Karelian Bear Dog to herd the bear. The state has six Karelian Bear Dogs, which are used to track and herd animals like bears and cougar across the state.

This is not the first urban bear to appear this season in the Puget Sound. Last week, a black bear climbed up a tree near a Renton elementary school. Puyallup police also recently reported a bear sighting near a home in a neighborhood near Wildwood Park.

Image via West Pierce fire