West Side Bear: After a brief stint in a tree, black bear captured, relocated

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Hungry bear captured on the city's West Side and transported to a new home.
Hungry bear captured on the city\’s West Side and transported to a new home.

MANCHESTER, NH – A hungry juvenile black bear found his way into some trouble on Friday while searching for his next meal. NH Fish & Game Conservation Officer Shawn MacFadzen got the call from Manchester Police at about 9:30 a.m., that they were tracking the bear after sightings by residents on the city’s West Side.

Screen Shot 2016-05-20 at 3.45.15 PM“Bear calls in Manchester are not that common,” said MacFadzen, who headed initially to Granby Street to meet up with police. The plan was to flush the bear away from the residential neighborhood into the woods.

“That would have been the safest route for everybody, but unfortunately, the bear had its own plans. He moved up into a tree off Warner Street,” said MacFadzen.

Once cornered, the bear was given a small dose of tranquilizer – enough so that it fell slowly from the tree – and once down safely, a second dose was administered so the bear could be loaded into a transport cage. At about 1 p.m. the bear was transferred to the U.S. Wildlife Service, which had a new home picked out for him up north, in New Hampshire’s “bear country,” says MacFadzen.

Manchester Police Tweeted this photo Friday morning.
Manchester Police Tweeted this photo Friday morning.

“As soon as he wakes up he will be in his new home,” he said.

MacFazden said the bear was about 1½ years old and approximately 90 pounds.

“He likely came into the city from Bedford, to the West. He was out looking for a meal, which is why we suggest people take down their bird feeders,” MacFazden said. “Bears will stay with their moms for two seasons, so he just got turned loose from his mom and was looking for his own range. He’ll have no problem adapting to his new home, up north.”


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About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!