Thief River Falls Police confirm that bear was safely removed from city after being tranquilized out of tree

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. (Valley News Live) - Officials have confirmed that the bear they tranquilized out of a tree in Thief River Falls was safely removed from the area in the back of a DNR truck.

They also confirmed that the Black Bear was only shot with tranquilizer darts and was not killed.

Officials say that they received a call of a bear walking on Main Avenue North around 4:00 A.M. on May 29. Officers responded but the bear got spooked and went down one of the cities main roads and into a tree. It was shot with some tranquilizer darts and fell onto some mats that officials put under the tree.

The bear still had some energy after the fall and got up to wander into a nearby yard before passing out. It was checked by vets and then loaded into the back of the DNR truck. The scene was cleared around 2:30 P.M.

Officers with the DNR, Thief River Falls Public Works, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota State Patrol, as well as local and area vets and businesses all assisted in getting the bear down.

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