Black bear tranquilized in tree after unexpected visit to school playground

Wednesday, May 9, 2018
A school gets an unexpected playground visitor, a black bear
A school in Manchester, New Hampshire gets an unexpected playground visitor, a black bear. The bear climbed a tree. Later, it was tranquilized. The black bear is expected to be released back into the wild.

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire -- A black bear that sat for hours in a tree outside a New Hampshire school is being relocated to the wild.

A school and a nearby day care center were on lockdown after a bear was spotted in a tree.

"Two teenagers on their way to West High School stopped in to let me know that there was a grizzly in the park," said day care worker Lisa Brent.

Once it was determined that everyone was safe inside, Fish and Game conservation officers set up a net beneath the tree and tranquilized the young bear.

Officers say the black bear is a year and a half old and roughly 115 pounds.

"They stay with the mother for about two years, so it then gets kicked away (from) mother. She's having cubs now. So he's on his own and looking for a safe place to live," said Fish and Game conservation officer Chris McKee told WMUR-TV.