ELIZABETH, New Jersey (WABC) — A bear was stuck up in a tree in an Elizabeth neighborhood for hours on Monday until officials could lure it down into a trap.<\/p>\n
Concerned residents called authorities to a tree on the 600 block of Court Street, but New Jersey Fish and Wildlife said it was too risky to use a tranquilizer gun to get it down.<\/p>\n
If they tranquilized it, the fall could have injured the bear or one of the people trying to get it down.<\/p>\n
While monitoring the bear, authorities brought in a large cage trap.<\/p>\n
The bear walked into the trap and they were able to safely capture it.<\/p>\n
The bear will now be sedated and transported from the area with assistance from emergency personnel on scene.<\/p>\n
New Jersey Fish and Wildlife said their current protocol is to not respond to bear calls unless the bear is actively behaving aggressively toward people.<\/p>\n
However, residents said they believed they spotted a younger bear with the one up the tree in the neighborhood earlier in the morning, and they were responsible for knocking over a few garbage cans.<\/p>\n
Court Street was blocked off while the team readied the bear for transport.<\/p>\n
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