In the early morning hours of May 4, a young male bear wandered into the city of Poughkeepsie near Mansion and North Hamilton streets. The bear was likely in search of food after hibernating and the urban environment provided plentiful sources. Poughkeepsie City Police Officers and ECO Charles Eyler surrounded the bear, which was up in a tree. The officers contacted DEC's Bureau of Wildlife and technicians arrived to anesthetize the animal. The bear slid down the tree onto a pad without injury and they weighed, aged, and tagged it. ECO Eyler and the officers lifted the 165-pound animal into DEC's bear transportation trailer and took it to Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Putnam County, where it was released back into the wild without incident.
ECO Eyler, DEC Bureau of Wildlife technician and City of Poughkeepsie Police Officer prepare to weigh juvenile bear
ECO Eyler, DEC Bureau of Wildlife technician and City of Poughkeepsie Police Officer prepare to weigh juvenile bear
