From the folks at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, comes these two clips of Paul Peditto (shown shooting a firecracker near the bear earlier on Thursday) said the bear was dropped off in a wildlife management area in western Montgomery County.
After coaxing the bear out of its lofty perch, another DNR official shot it with a tranquilizer dart. The bear ran through the NIH gate, then passed out on the NIH campus.
It’s not that rare to see a young male black bear wandering around Montgomery County, looking for its own territory.
It is rare to see one about 100 feet up in a tree a few steps away from a Metro station.
And in case you were wondering, the NIH Bear Twitter account now has more than 1,770 followers. That’s more than the three Democratic candidates for Montgomery County Executive combined. The primary election is Tuesday.
The NIH Bear also got a shout out from NIH Director Francis Collins:
Hey @NIH_Bear, great to have you & your sense of humor on the #NIH campus. Sorry about that dart thing, but hope you enjoy your new digs.- Francis S. Collins (@NIHDirector) June 19, 2014
Video via Maryland DNR