A bear got stuck in a tree in Petaluma for the better part of Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021.
A bear found itself in a precarious position over the weekend after wandering into a backyard in Petaluma and getting stuck up in a tree.
The large animal was spotted early Sunday morning, Petaluma police said.
The bear was first noticed by residents in the I St., Olive St., and the Raymond Heights areas, eventually crashing through people's fences and scaling a tree in an effort to outrun the number of spectators and police.
The scared bear climbed 85 feet up a redwood tree, according to KPIX.
"He did that in about, I don't know, about six seconds? So, he's a big boy — it was amazing to watch," said Mark Scott, executive director of North Bay Animal Services, to the station. The bear likely clocked in at around 500 pounds.
police coordinated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to try to encourage the bear to come down. The whole process took all day, and people in the area couldn't help but watch in fascination from a safe distance.
"It's one thing to get a mountain lion but you don’t usually hear about a bear," one local, Eliza Fischer, told the station.
But it was most likely distressing for the bear to have such an audience, Doris Duncan, executive director of Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, told KPIX.
"He got stuck and all the people here have scared him up the tree and he does not feel safe to come down yet," she said. "Plus, it's daylight. He knows that he's going to have some problems if he starts roaming through these streets." Eventually, authorities were able to coax the bear down a little before 10 p.m., according to Petaluma police. The large animal was last seen heading towards the Petaluma Golf and Country Club.
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