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FRZ.RAIN Temp: 29 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, November 30, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 4, 2002 A black bear, which had been running around a south Medford neighborhood Tuesday morning, waits in a cage to be released into the Rogue River National Forest near Fish Lake. Click the photo to see a larger (30k) version. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Wayward bear gets second chance After it’s caught in south Medford, the animal is released in the forest By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune A bear that led police and a wildlife biologist on a wild chase through south Medford early Tuesday morning eventually was tranquilized and fell almost 100 feet out of a tree before earning a rare ride to freedom. The black bear, a 125-pound male, had darted through back yards and across streets for several blocks and near two schools before climbing a tall Douglas fir around 8 a.m. along Stewart Avenue. State wildlife biologist John Thiebes tranquilized the bear but had to climb almost 100 feet up the tree to free the sleeping bruin from a crook in the branches. The bear dropped from branch to branch before plopping down safely at the tree’s base, then was whisked into an awaiting cage. "It was definitely a wild one," Thiebes said of the ordeal. "I haven’t had any opportunities to push a bear out of a tree." And few Oregon bears ever get an opportunity like this boar. State wildlife policy is to kill damage-causing bears instead of relocating them because the animals can become so habituated to people that they often just cause more problems near their new home. But the policy does allow biologists the discretion of relocating a bear whose only offense is trespassing in a town. And such a exemption seemed to fit the wayward bruin in Medford, whose official city mascot once was Huggy Bear. So the Medford bear got a fresh start Tuesday afternoon when it was released in Rogue River National Forest lands near Fish Lake in eastern Jackson County. "This one will have a second chance," Thiebes said. "I think he’ll be OK, but we’ll see what happens." Wildlife advocates such as Spencer Lennard of Williams are pleased this particular bear was spared the usual death sentence and hope Tuesday’s encounter sets a new precedent. "This is an impressive change of pace, given that (the ODFW) is somewhat trigger-happy," said Lennard, who is program director for the Ashland-based Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. "They should be giving all these (captured) bears second or third chances." The bear apparently had been sighted over the past five days near Orchard Home Drive, Stewart Avenue and near South Stage Road. Then shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday, police received reports of the bear roaming streets and yards from South Medford High School to Washington Elementary School. The animal was eating the plums in Tim McNanna’s yard at Hamilton and 12th streets at 5:15 a.m. when it was spooked as McNanna turned on his kitchen light. "The thing ran into my gate, and it sounded like a car crashing into a telephone pole," McNanna said. "I ran out thinking it was a dog. Then I saw this bear standing in the middle of the street. It was amazing." Fearing for the safety of residents, particularly kids headed back to school in a few hours, police telephoned Thiebes, who summoned Dave Johnson, a Jacksonville houndsman with tracking dogs trained for bears. With assistance from police, Thiebes and Johnson tracked the bear over several blocks before it ran up the large tree on the 1300 block of Stewart Avenue. It took three shots from a tranquilizer gun before Thiebes anesthetized the bear. The other two darts are likely in people’s yards but should pose no risk to humans because the darts expel the tranquilizer upon impact, Thiebes said. When the bear failed to fall out of the tree on its own, Thiebes then climbed up the branches to free it. "This one couldn’t have had a better fall from 95 feet," Thiebes said. "He just bounced branch-to- branch all the way down, with the last branch almost completely breaking its fall." ODFW biologist Mark Vargas said the bear probably wandered into town in search of food and had trouble finding his way out. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S