Lawrence, MA Wild Black Bear - Floral St at Hudson Ave - 5/22/17

Lawrence Police took multiple phone calls for a black bear running through back yards on Oregon Ave in the Tower Hill section of the city. Officers responded to the area and confirmed thru cell phone video that there was indeed a black bear on the loose with an initial size-up of 190-200lbs. It took about 15 minutes but officers were able to lay eyes on the bear where they held position at a safe distance in order to let the bear settle into one spot. The Massachusetts Environmental Police were notified and sent a number of units with the plan of shooting the bear using a tranquilizer dart. Once on scene, EPD personnel got in place, shot the bear and waitied for the tranquilizer to take effect. Once the bear was sedated, it was put on a heavy duty tarp-like extrication devise to an awaiting pickup truck. The animal was partially covered with ice in the truck bed to keep its temperature down while it was transported to an unknown location where it will be tagged and released into a more proper habitat.