Bear captured in Highlands has made Renton home for years

The bear captured Monday afternoon in the Highlands probably has made Renton his home for much of his life, says the man who led the effort to catch him. The male bear was full of surprises. Original estimates placed him at about 175 pounds. But he is really about 350 pounds. And he is much older that earlier thought, probably seven or eight years old.

By Dean Radford • May 17, 2011 7:35 pm
A black bear spent part of mid-day Monday roaming through the Highlands and seeking refuge in a tree before it was safely captured and taken to the Cascades.
A black bear spent part of mid-day Monday roaming through the Highlands and seeking refuge in a tree before it was safely captured and taken to the Cascades.

The bear captured Monday afternoon in the Highlands probably has made Renton his home for much of his life, says the man who led the effort to catch him.

The male bear was full of surprises.

Original estimates placed him at about 175 pounds. But he is really about 350 pounds. And he is much older that earlier thought, probably seven or eight years old.

And, he’s adept at making a living – at night – in Renton.

“He knew how to work in the city” says Bruce Richards, a wildlife officer for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. “He probably grew up there.”

Where the bear was found is not that far from May Valley which sits at the foot of Cougar Mountain. Bears in that area routinely find their way into the north Highlands and the Kennydale area.

But Richards is pretty sure he was living in Renton and not May Valley. Foraging at night, he probably wasn’t seen that often.

“He has probably been living that way for years,” says Richards, surviving on what he could find to eat.”He did quite a dang good job of doing it.

Police got the first call at 9:32 a.m. about a bear running south in a back-yard greenbelt near the 600 block of Jefferson Avenue Northeast, not far from Highlands Elementary School. Students at the school were kept indoors for a recess.

It would take another four hours or so to get him treed, tranquilized and safely out of the tree. The effort drew dozens of onlookers, who got a close look at the bear once it was subdued.

Nick Dalgardno, a pastor at the Highlands Community, was a bit skeptical when another pastor told him a bear was up a lone tree in a big expanse of church property. But, the pastor had a photo.

Delgardno put a telephoto lens on his own camera. He could see the bear about 25 feet up in the tree.  (The slideshow with this story include photos from Dalgardno, Mayor Denis Law and Gary Palmer.)

“It looked scared,” he said. Delgardno took a lunch break and when check again, there “were tons more people” watching the drama unfold.

“He jumped around the tree a little bit,” Delgardno said, after the bear was shot with a tranquilizer dart.

Richards had to fire four darts into the bear. For some reason, the chemical didn’t release from the first three. He couldn’t figure out why, even after inspecting them at home that night.

So, Richards decided to get a close look. He rode up in the basket of the Renton Fire Department ladder truck. He could see the darts didn’t discharge. “I was baffled,” he said. He fired a fourth dart and the chemical was injected.

But, by this time, the bear was high in the tree, maybe 80 or 90 feet.

“It’s bad for the bear if he fell from that height,” he said.

So, fire crews maneuvered the basket toward the bear, which made it feel uncomfortable enough to move closer to the ground. Eventually, he fell, into a waiting net held by police and fire crews. It was about 1:45 p.m.

Richards made a point to say how much he appreciated the help from police and fire crews.

Mayor Denis Law, who also took photographs of the bear,

“Obviously a bear can become very confused, scared and potentially dangerous when cornered,” he said. “There is always a concern for the public and we’re all curious and have a natural tendency to get close.”

There chance of a bear getting hit by a car is high and trying to capture one in a highly populated urban area “is a challenge.”

“It’s a big success when this can be accomplished without hurting the animal,” he said.

The bear was taken into the Cascades Monday night, but as is customary, Richards wouldn’t say where. Because of the heavy snow, the release site wasn’t as high as he would have preferred.