Arlington bear safely down from tree, relocated by wildlife officials

ARLINGTON, Mass. — A black bear that led police through Arlington and then hunkered down in a tree for hours Friday morning has been relocated by Massachusetts Wildlife Officials.

It was an interesting morning commute in parts of Arlington after a viewer spotted the 130-pound bear cruising through the Walnut Street area Friday morning.

"I went outside and this lady was like, 'Get back inside your house, there's a bear in your backyard' I was like 'Uh huh' and she was like 'I'm serious,'" Annabel told Boston 25 News.

Police scrambled around town while the bear was on the move, telling residents to stay inside with their pets. It even forced a school to delay its start time.

Seeing bears in Arlington is very rare.

"Inside 95 is really a pretty rare occasion," said Dave Wattles.

Once the bear made its way to Annabel's backyard, it went up a tree about 40-50 feet.

Wattles, the state's black bear biologist, is the one who managed to inject the bear to make it sleepy while it was up in the tree.

"They brought out mattresses and things which we set up in different areas so if the bear did fall out of the tree, it would have something soft to fall on," he said.

After the bear was hit with the dart, it could be seen yawning, slumping over a branch with its paws hanging down until it finally crept down on its own.

Officials believe the bear was about 2 years old, which is the age they typically disperse from their mothers and sometimes go far distances.

"Our bear population is growing so they are moving east," said Wattles.

The neighborhood was relieved the bear was OK.

"I'm going to be late, I had a bear in my backyard," said Annabel.

Officials say the bear has been relocated to an "undisclosed wooded area."

>> MassWildlife bear information

Cox Media Group