Wandering Bear Found in Syracuse-Area Neighborhood

Black bear spotted, caught in neighboring Town of Geddes.
5/9/2008

After a day long hunt, DEC officials and Geddes Police were able to corner a black bear in a tree Thursday night and tranquilize it after it was spotted wandering around Syracuse's western suburbs.

The bear was first spotted early Thursday morning and multiple sightings were made to police throughout the day.. Reports of a bear wandering around the neighborhood even forced officials at the Onondaga Road Elementary School to go on lockdown for the day after the bear was spotted near school grounds.

Eventually the bear was spotted again Thursday night near the same spot where it was first reported. Officials from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo were called to the scene to assist the DEC and local police.. Zoo specialists tranquilized the bear, it fell from the tree, and then was placed into a waiting van.. The bear was taken to a big game rehab center in Oswego County.

Surprisingly, the bear had already been tagged and had an ID number on it. Initial indications show that the bear was from Cortland County when it was last tracked. The bear had obviously taken a very long walk from Cortland County to Geddes before it was spotted.