UPPER DARBY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pennsylvania authorities are closing in on a bear tranquilized Tuesday after it was spotted wandering wooded residential areas and prompted the lockdown of an Upper Darby Township elementary school.
So far, even doughnuts have proved ineffective, WTFX-TV reported.
CONFIRMED:Delco bear runs on @dunkindonuts. However still wandering park in Drexel Hill. @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/tnsybjF0uY
— Chris O'Connell (@CoconnellFox29) May 3, 2022
Pennsylvania Game Warden Jerry Czech told the TV station that the bear continued roaming wooded portions of Drexel Hill late Tuesday afternoon after being sedated but has still not been captured.
Update:Delco bear was shot with tranquilizer but has not been captured. Still somewhere in Drexel Hill park. PA Game Warden asking people to stay away. @FOX29philly #delcobear pic.twitter.com/dfOAawlcZB
— Chris O'Connell (@CoconnellFox29) May 3, 2022
Aerial crews with WCAU have been assisting Delaware County officials with their search, spotting the bear in the Lansdowne area just before 1 p.m. EDT.
As a precaution, school officials kept all students and staff at Charles Kelly Elementary School inside the building, WTFX reported.
Attempts to capture the bear included loading a bear trap with sweet treats, including Dunkin’ doughnuts, but to no avail.
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the state’s bear population has been increasing for decades. While bears are typically most active at dusk and dawn, once a bear finds easily accessible food, they will keep returning, fearing people a little less with each visit, WTFX reported.
Specifically, the commission recommends regularly cleaning outdoor cooking appliances, keeping garbage cans as clean as possible and storing bird seed and pet food indoors to minimize bear encounters.
Watch a portion of the hunt below:
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