Bear in tree on Morristown Green snared

MORRISTOWN – A 230-pound male black bear lounging on a tree limb on The Green Monday held onlookers spellbound for hours, up until it was tranquilized and then plucked from a limb 30 feet off the ground by a town firefighter and state Division of Fish and Wildlife technician who rode in a tower ladder bucket to reach it.

"Oh my God, it's so cute!  Where the heck did it come from?" asked Sandy Herbert as she snapped a photo.

The bear's presence on the Green was reported around 9:40 a.m. Monday as it wandered by the fountain and then climbed one tree and then a second at the corner of East Park Place and North Park Place, from which it ultimately was captured at 3 p.m.

Hundreds of curious spectators, many armed with camera phones or digital cameras, crowded the sidewalks and parts of the Green to watch the capture, which began around 1:30 p.m. after Fish and Wildlife technicians arrived from their Clinton office. As onlookers were ordered to keep their distance, police, firefighters and Morris County Sheriff's officers wrapped netting around the tree to be used to catch the bear if it fell from the tree after being shot with a tranquilizer gun.

SEE PHOTOS: Black bear stops traffic on the Morristown Green http://dailyre.co/1N361FT 

Spectators were ordered to stay across the street from The Green or several hundred feet away on the grass in case the bruin ran and led officials on a chase.

But upon being zapped with the tranquilizer, the bear scooted another 10 to 15 feet up the tree and became wedged between two limbs, said town Fire Chief Robert Flanagan.  Getting wedged was good for the bear, Flanagan said, as it kept it from falling upon losing consciousness and allowed Firefighter Don Leyhane and the Fish and Game technician to approach the branch and lift the bear into the ladder bucket for his ride down to the ground.

"It worked out well where he didn't fall and hit some branches," Flanagan said.

With onlookers straining for a closer look, the still-unconscious bear was placed on the sidewalk to have its ears tagged, the inside of its lips tattooed, and a DNA sample taken, which is used for tracking genetics. The bear was estimated to be two to three years old, Flanagan said.

The bear was expected to be released in a wooded area somewhere in the western part of the state, Flanagan said.

Neal Monda arrived on The Green about a half hour before the capture and said he actually called Morristown Airport to inquire why a helicopter was hovering.  He was told it was a news chopper.

"I wouldn't want to be one of those guys holding a net with claws coming at me," he said.

Retired state Supreme Court Justice Stewart Pollock said an email about the bear was sent out at the Riker Danzig law firm in Headquarters Plaza, where he is of counsel. Luckily, he said, he had his Nikon camera and a telephoto lens in his car so he grabbed them and headed to The Green.

"You couldn't have a better day for this," Pollock said of the sunshine and 60 degree temperature.

Verenes said she headed to The Green after receiving a message from her son Constantine in Los Angeles, who told her he had seen a story about a bear in a tree in Morristown.

"I couldn't believe it!  He's in Los Angeles," she said.

Alda Brandao said she was worried the bear would be injured.

"I feel sorry for them. I think we have to be gentle with them. I'm Portuguese and to us bears are very special," Brandao said.

The bear was motionless on the limb for long periods of time, dangling its legs over the sides. But as netting was wrapped around the tree trunk it perked up and swiveled its head and body to watch the action.

"I think it’s pretty cool,” said Khadijah Wallace, who spent her lunch hour on The Green. “I don’t know if it’s stuck in the tree or asleep but I came out to capture the moment.”

Tom Losito, who works in the 1776 building off The Green, said he noticed from his window that people were standing still and watching something.

"You don't usually see a bear around here but we thought maybe it got drunk at one of the bars and spent the night here," Losito said.

   Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.