Young Bear Rescued From Tree With Cherry Picker

A bear stuck in a tree in Cabot, Arkansas – a suburb of Little Rock – was tranquilized and lowered down with a cherry picker on May 15, after he wandered into the city amid the coronavirus lockdown, officials said.

Mike Wheeler, director of animal services with the City of Cabot, said the juvenile American black bear was cinnamon-colored and sightings of the animal were rare in the city.

Wheeler said that, given the bear’s young age, his mother had likely distanced herself to give him time to mature and he “accidentally wound up in the city.”

Wheeler said the bear was tranquilized while in the tree and then brought down with a cherry picker. “He was totally unharmed and will be released back into the wild once he wakes up,” he added.

While sightings of wild animals in urban areas have reportedly increased as people stay indoors to avoid COVID-19, Wheeler said he had not noticed any other bears in Cabot in recent weeks.

In the video, the bear can be seen being lowered down from the tree by one of its hind legs. “We haven’t noticed a lot more wild animals. With COVID-19, we have a lot more people at home, so we are getting more calls,” Wheeler said. Credit: City of Cabot via Storyful