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CLEAR Temp: 43 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, December 5, 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 November 17, 2002 Black bear gives Medford police the slip By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune A burly, brown-colored black bear led police on a chase through East Medford Saturday morning before disappearing into brush near Bear Creek Park. Saturday evening the bruin appeared again at the south end of the park. It emerged from blackberry bushes near Interstate 5 and entered the parking lot at Winco Foods on East Barnett Road. People spotted it crossing I-5 and moving along Bear Creek, but it again evaded authorities. Just before 7 a.m., Medford police got a report of a bear near the intersection of East Jackson Boulevard and Barneburg Road, said officer Brett Johnson. People who spotted the bear as they got their newspapers or exercised dogs continued to call police, enabling officers to track the bear as it moved through the neighborhood, he said. "We got a lot of calls from neighbors," Johnson said. With the rest of Medford’s streets quiet, all the officers on duty at that early hour joined in the hunt, he said. They spotted the bear on Ashland Avenue and tried to box in the animal with patrol cars, Johnson said. The bear fled through yards along Ashland Avenue and East llth Street. It was later seen loping down Eureka Circle, a short cul-de-sac off Siskiyou Boulevard. There it cut through yards again and headed into Bear Creek Park. Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife joined in the search, Johnson said. They contacted a dog handler with tracking dogs to help look for the bear. The dogs picked up the bear’s scent and followed it across the Bear Creek Greenway trail and into brush on the park’s north side. They lost the scent trail there and were unable to find the bear. Johnson hoped the bear headed south through the park and followed Bear Creek out of the city. Police didn’t get any more reports of bear sightings until about 6:30 p.m., when people saw it lumbering toward Winco. Officers searched around the shopping complex until another caller reported seeing the bear cross I-5 and head toward the Dairy Queen. Police searched that side of the freeway, but didn’t find the wily bear. "We have bear sightings in town once or twice a year, but they’re usually small bears," Johnson said. "This was a very large bear." In September, Fish and Wildlife tracked and tranquilized a 120-pound bear in southwest Medford after a string of sightings. He was released in the Rogue River National Forest near Fish Lake. Biologist said then that the summer’s wildfires and drought could push bears searching for food toward town this fall. Still, the wild visitor surprised people in east Medford. Traudel Leftrick, an 11th Street resident and avid walker on Bear Creek Trail, thought a fellow walker who told her of the bear was jesting. "A guy who walks his dog in the morning told me and I thought he was joking," Leftrick said. "I don’t really know him. We just see one another in the park and say hi. Today I thought he was joking." Leftrick, who once lived in Alaska, said she won’t let a roving bear keep her from her daily walk. "I stay on the path and always look in the bushes," she said. Police ask park users to be careful and alert. Anyone who spots a bear should call police immediately. Police expect the bear to be on the move again this morning. If it’s seen, they plan to call out the dogs and the Department of Fish and Wildlife again. If they can catch up with the bear, Fish and Wildlife biologist plan to tranquilize it with a dart, then take it to a remote area and release it, Johnson said. If the bear threatens people, officials might have to kill the bear, but they hope to avoid that, he said. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459. 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