HOPE, Ark.-A young black bear spent most of the day Wednesday in Hope, Ark, before it was captured by wildlife officers.
"It was captured this afternoon in a live trap and will be relocated. We're going to find him a happy home. It's been quite a day," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologist Eley Talley late Wednesday.
Hope police and AGFC biologists spent the day searching for the bear that has been spotted in town several times. The bear, which officials said appeared to be a young black bear, was captured safely late Wednesday and will be relocated to a less populated area.
"We feel like it was same bear that came through near Texarkana last week. We have pretty consistent sighting reports s from Cass County to Mandeville and Fulton," Talley said.
If it is the same bear, he has been on the move for about a month.
Earlier in the day, AGFC biologist were hoping to herd the bear out of town and into the woods. Police warned residents to keep children and pets inside after the bear was seen close to the railroad tracks between 16th and Sixth streets.
The bear was not acting aggressively, but police wanted the public to use caution, said Hope Assistant Police Chief Kim Tomlin.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the bear had moved west into the woods and biologists were hopeful it had moved out of town enough to cease pursuing it.
However, the bear returned and was captured in a wooded area in Hope.
According to AGFC, bears in Arkansas are black bears though some come in different colors such as blond or cinnamon. There are about 6,000 bears in the state.
The majority of the AGFC's nuisance bear calls come during spring and about 95 percent of the calls involve young male bears. This is because mother bears chase off their young because it's time to breed again.
The AGFC warns people to let the bears remain wild and do not feed them.
Avoid bear trouble by doing the following:
- Use outdoor trash bins that have metal, lockable lids and secure bins that cannot be turned over easily.
- Do not leave pet food or livestock feed out overnight
- Empty bird feeders
- Do not leave dirty grills and smokers outside
Call the nearest AGFC regional office for advice about bears or call AGFC headquarters at 501-223-6359.