Best efforts to help bear with plastic jug over head unsuccessful
July 22, 2011
At approximately 2:13 PM dispatch received a second call for the same bear in the area of Peterson Street and Park Avenue. Officers responded and located the bear and attempted to contain it. The bear still had the plastic jug on his head and had become increasingly disorientated. At one point, the bear climbed from a 12-foot retaining wall unto the roof of a home on Park Avenue. The animal eventually made it back to the retaining wall and continued to walk along the length of it. According to information provided by Ketchikan Chief of Police Ed Talik, the Ketchikan Fire Department responded with a ladder truck and helped position an officer near the bear with a tranquilizer gun. The bear began to move toward where officers were posted to contain the bear which resulted in the officers using lethal force. Ketchikan Chief of Police Ed Talik said in a prepared statement, "We believe this is the same bear that has become habituated to garbage left out by citizens in the area of Woodland Avenue, Deermount Street, and East Fifth Avenue in the last few weeks. The bear had been shot with a beanbag round on at least one other occasion and has continued to visit this particular neighborhood." Talik said, "Please remember to keep your food trash picked up and only put it out the morning of trash pick-up day. Once a bear locates a food source, such as garbage, he will continue to return to that source. This puts all citizens, particularly young children who may be playing in the area, at great risk." " While it is regretful to have to destroy an animal like this, it is the job of our department to protect our fellow citizens," said Talik.
Edited by Mary Kauffman Source of News:
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