No Kitten: Black bear found in Worcester tree

(Bill Byrne, MassWildlife)

MassWildlife technician Scott Kemp released a 108-pound bear in secluded woods after it had been tranquilized in Worcester.

By Kate Augusto, Globe Correspondent

This was no kitten stuck in a tree. Residents on Idalla Avenue discovered a 108-pound black bear clinging to branches on a leafy block north of downtown Worcester.

After being spotted in the tree Monday, the 15-month-old bear was shot with a tranquilizer dart by environmental officials. They removed the conscious but immobilized bear and brought him to woods in northern Worcester County. That is a far happier outcome than the last time a bear was spotted in the city, a 200-pounder that environmental officials shot and killed May 30 when it ran toward rush hour traffic on Interstate 290.

Biologist Marion Larson of the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife said that adolescent male bears such as the one found in the tree are often driven out of their homes by their mothers and can wander long distances looking for new territory.

“They follow waterways and wooded areas, sometimes not realizing where they are in the morning," Larson said.

The bear population has been on the rise since the 1970s, but the animals are not a threat to people unless provoked, Larson said. As a "last resort" wildlife officials will shoot bears if they pose a threat to the public like on May 30, she said.

The 108-pound bear from the tree was tagged and seen happy after his release.

“He was up and around drinking [water]," said Lisa Capone, spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. "It was a successful relocation.”

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