Update: Alpha Fire Company assisted in getting the bear down from the tree on Friday night. Crews sprayed the bear with a hose until it climbed down and was tranquilized by the Game Commission. The bear was found to have no injuries and was released into Sproul State Forest on Saturday morning.
Original story:
Nittany View Apartments residents looked out their window to find that a new neighbor had taken up residence in the tree outside their 804 South Allen Street building Friday morning.
A small black bear was spotted lounging on one of the trees top branches, and a crowd of spectators quickly assembled to watch the animal nap.
The bear, which was struck by a car before climbing the tree was still there as of early Friday evening. Centre Game Warden Dan Murray said he was unsure if it was injured.
Murray said the Game Commission planned to wait for the bear to come down, or possibly tranquilize it if it moved closer to the ground. He said that the bear could be in the tree until dark.
Several police officers quickly arrived on the scene Friday morning and closed off the sidewalk. They craned their necks alongside students taking pictures as the unfazed bear scratched its ears, looked around, and rested his head back on the chosen branch.
“I think he just found his new home,” one onlooker said.
Police moved the crowd across the street outside the Exon Mobile station on South Allen Street. Patrons pumping gas stopped what they were doing to join the throng.
The bear remained unconcerned with the crowd of fans, stirred by the unbearable tension of not knowing what the animal would do next and growing beneath the tree as officers paced the sidewalk.
Bear sightings in State College and other local municipalities are not uncommon. Spring, however, is usually the prime season for bear sightings in the area as the animals awaken from hibernation. Despite their significant speed, size, and climbing ability, black bears are relatively passive animals. Black bear attacks on humans are rare.
Population estimates suggested that there were 20,000 black bears living in Pennsylvania in 2015. Bears reportedly come into contact with humans most often in the northeastern part of the state, but there is also a sizable black bear population in north central Pennsylvania.
