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LOCAL NEWS UPDATED: Medford police shoot, kill bear near elementary school Comment By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 25, 2014 at 10:08 AM Updated Sep 25, 2014 at 1:33 PM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 25, 2014 at 10:08 AM Updated Sep 25, 2014 at 1:33 PM » Social News Police shot and killed a black bear that had been rooting through trash cans in a west Medford neighborhood Thursday morning after the bear climbed up a tree and would not come down. Medford police said they first learned of the bear at 4:10 a.m. The animal, a 203-pound male, had been walking through a neighborhood near Washington Elementary School and going through trash cans. When police arrived, the bear had climbed a tree in front of a home in the 900 block of Mt. Pitt Avenue. The agency contacted the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife to see if wildlife officers could come to the scene and tranquilize the bear. Oregon State Police also collaborated on what to do. "Based on the circumstances of the bear, the location, especially so far within an urban center, Fish & Wildlife didn't respond," said Medford Deputy Chief Brett Johnson. "They could respond, but they aren't able to tranquilize in those situations." Officers stayed with the animal to see if it came down, giving them the chance to push it out of the area. When it didn't, officers shot and killed it while it was in the tree as a safety precaution. Johnson said the bear was not acting in a threatening manner, but that daylight was edging closer and school children and others would soon pass through the densely-populated area. "That school has a lot of foot traffic from the local residents. Those kids live in that neighborhood. They walk to that school," Johnson said. Officers shot the animal four times with shotguns. It has since been removed and skinned. The meat will be given to charity, ODFW officials said. "Our number one business is public safety," Johnson said. "There's not a lot of tools police can use to deal with a bear, and it sounds like the sciences of tranquilizing and transporting just puts off the problem or causes other problems." "If you look at what the possibilities are when daylight comes and the bear goes mobile, you don't have a solid backdrop to dispatch it and now all of a sudden it's mingling with kids that are walking to school with their lunchboxes. That's not a picture that I think we want to see." Mark Vargas, Rogue District wildlife biologist for ODFW, said he supports the department's decision, as there are a host of issues with trying to tranquilize and relocate bears, especially in the city limits. The main issue is that relocated bears almost always return to the same spot, he said. "It doesn't matter if you take it 80 miles away. They'll come back," Vargas said. He referenced a similar case from a few years ago as an example. In that case, a black bear was spotted near Lone Pine Elementary School. ODFW tranquilized the animal and transported it 80 miles outside of town. "It was back a week later and got shot by a hunter a mile from the school," Vargas said. Other issues with tranquilizing include that the drugs wouldn't kick in right away, meaning the animal could run. "There are all kinds of issues trying to tranquilize an animal," Vargas said. "It's not as straightforward as a lot of people think." Vargas said bears coming into town is a common occurrence. Sightings just don't always happen. If you see a bear, Vargas said, his advice is to give the animal room and leave it alone. Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 25, 2014 at 10:08 AM Updated Sep 25, 2014 at 1:33 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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