ALBANY — A bear in a tree on Second Avenue climbed higher out of reach after a responding officer fired a tranquilizer dart Tuesday morning.
The dart was fired around 11:40 a.m. Minutes later, the bear hung from a branch before falling into a net spread by officers below.
A portion of Second Avenue, between Hoffman and Frisbie avenues, was closed after Albany city police and state Department of Environmental Conservation officers responded to what appeared to be a black bear lounging on a tree branch. Garden Street at Raymo Street was also closed.
A passerby called 911 after seeing the bear around 6:30 a.m., Albany police spokeswoman Officer Megan Craft said Tuesday. Conservation officers, as well as city police and animal control, were at the scene.
Craft said police asked the public to avoid the area while officers worked on getting the bear out of the tree.
But that didn’t keep a crowd of curious onlookers away. About 20 people had gathered by 11 a.m. on Second Avenue near the scene. City police and conservation officers were gathered below.
“Keep your head up! Don’t let them intimidate you, baby!” one passerby shouted to the bear.
One person remarked that a horn was honked at one point.
“That doesn’t work for anyone in Albany.”
Eventually, law enforcement set out a net and padding below the tree.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.