Un-bear-able! Search for loose black bear in Montgomery County ends with a trap loaded with doughnuts

A black bear that had captured the attention of Montgomery County residents since the middle of the week was returned to a wilder habitat Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Jerry Czech, the agency’s state game warden, said sightings of the bear started to trickle in early Wednesday morning. Residents in Worcester, Whitpain, and East Norriton called to make reports, which made the commission move in quickly to assist.

Czech said thousands of bears routinely walk through neighborhoods in the Poconos and North Central Pennsylvania without any problems.

“But when it gets close to the city, a populated area, we got to do something to try to get it back to better habitat,” Czech said.

Still, catching a bear is not easy, especially one that’s constantly moving. What’s more, bears like to move at night, said Czech, and that makes it harder for staff to find.

By Thursday afternoon, the bear had moved to Plymouth Township, with sightings including the area mall, according to local police reports. The bear was eventually reported to be taking a swim in a pond on 15 acres of private property. A stroke of luck, according to Czech, because that would mean the bear wouldn’t get scared off into another township.

Using doughnuts loaded in a cylindrical contraption that looks like a giant bean can, Game Commission employees lured the bear, catching it with Boston creams Thursday night.

This was important as staff try not to tranquilize bears during hunting season, which would mean the meat couldn’t be consumed for 30 days.

The bear was transported to State Game Lands 211, which spans Dauphin, Lebanon, and Schuylkill Counties, on Friday afternoon. The land includes thousands of acres that are managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and are open for hunting and trapping. The bear, which wasn’t processed so the Game Commission doesn’t know what gender it is, was taken to an area near Hershey, said Czech.

In a video provided by the Game Commission, a staff member opened the door to the doughnut trap and the bear bolted into the woods.

As for Montgomery County residents, Czech said, “Everybody can resume normal activities.”