Treed Bear At Mary Purcell Elementary School Dies In Fall

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. (AP) — Police say an adult black bear that had been spotted high up in a tree near a Sedro-Woolley, Washington, elementary school has died in a fall as wildlife agents tried to get it back on the ground.

Recess and classes all took place inside after a teacher at Mary Purcell Elementary School spotted the bear Tuesday afternoon.

Students used an alternate exit to leave, then police and state wildlife agents tried to bring the bear down.

Police Sgt. Dave Pierce says wildlife agents used a fire department ladder truck to climb above the bear, which was perhaps 75 feet up the tree. Pierce says agents were trying to get it to climb down. Once it got partway down, they tranquilized it with a low dose in hopes it would climb down the rest of the way. The officer says it came down a little farther, then fell and died, apparently due to the fall.

Pierce says a safety net was set out to catch the bear but because the tree was at an angle, the bear missed the net when it fell.

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