Black Bear in Ruston

[JAY]

[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']Ruston Police Department[/font]

News Release

7-1-08



Black Bear in Ruston


On Tuesday morning, July 1st, around 6:30am, the Ruston Police Department received a 911 call from the Fairfield Inn stating there was a bear standing at their front door, looking inside. The hotel employees watched as the bear finally strolled off heading east towards Holiday Inn Express]Officers responded to the area, but the bear had already wondered off.




At approx. 7:07am a citizen called RPD stating that they had almost ran over a black bear on Benard Street at the railroad tracks.] Ruston Police Officers and Ruston Animal Control Officers responded to the area, but again the bear had apparently wondered off in the woods out of sight.




Several minutes later, another citizen called the Ruston Police Department from 619 Durden Street and advised that she had just seen a black bear walk down her driveway and right beside her house. Officers from the Ruston Police Department and Ruston Animal Control Officers again responded and RPD Officer Nathan Scheer spotted the bear crossing the railroad tracks.



Animal Control Officers were then able to strike the bear with a tranquilizer dart as it entered the Louisiana Center for Blind property. Officers followed the bear for several more minutes, watching as the bear became groggy



The officers were finally able to corral the bear in a fenced in yard on Durden Street.

]When the bear realized he was cornered, he climbed up a very large oak tree and wedged himself between three large branches




Approx. 20 minutes later, the bear finally climbed down out of the oak tree. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Agents and Biologists had already arrived on the scene and advised Ruston Police Officers and Ruston Animal Control Officers to let the bear go. The Ruston Police Department then turned over the investigation to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries as the bear wondered off.




]If anyone has further questions, please feel free to contact me at 318-255-4141 or the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at 318-343-4044.





Lt. Curtis Hawkins
Training Coordinator
Public Information Officer

Ruston Police Department

318) 255-4141

chawkins@ruston.org

[bayouboyz]

This black bear was seen in Jackson Parish just last week:

[inudesu]

This black bear was seen in Jackson Parish just last week:

It's a shame one of those two little doglets didn't try their luck. :icon_wink:

[rabiddawg]

We just got back from the Smoky Mountain National Park and they are all over that area. I think it is cool. Lately the ones from Louisiana have been migrating back into East Texas. I hope they continue to populate the North La. area and continue to flow back into East Texas. The bears in East Texas were hunted out years ago and were basically gone from Texas except in the Big Bend area so it's nice to see them back. The elk are actually making a comeback on their own down in SW Texas. I saw a bunch when we were hunting for mule deer a year ago. It was very cool.

Careful what you wish for. I have several friends with camps in Tensas parish; one in particular is located on the river within the TNWR. The bears tear up the posts for their porches, claw up the pilings for their decks and break up their water lines. They hate 'em for all the damage they do.

[SkeeterDawg]

Looks like the same bear.

[Bigdog13]

Careful what you wish for. I have several friends with camps in Tensas parish; one in particular is located on the river within the TNWR. The bears tear up the posts for their porches, claw up the pilings for their decks and break up their water lines. They hate 'em for all the damage they do.

God put them here for a reason. They should have never been hunted out. I'm glad they are making a comeback. I hope they get enough in East Texas or the Hill Country that we can start hunting them. (I do feel bad for your friends though, that kind of damage is a pain in the a$$ and wallet)

[Choudawg86]

Looks like the same bear.

they all look a like . . . :icon_wink:

[Bigdog13]

they all look a like . . . :icon_wink:

Be careful Black Bears are very sensitive about that kind of stuff. Not as sensitive as a Warhawk though. I never talk like that around them unless I have my rifle with me. (then they tend to be less sensitive .........Warhawks that is.)

[PawDawg]

[quote=Bigdog13;625470]God put them here for a reason.quote]

Get back to me when you figure out why He gave us mosquitos, houseflies, and the Juco.

[Dawgmatic]

Oh I wish I could see it!!!!!!

[DONW]

we have lots of bears here in Arkansas. I've seen 2 close to my camp at Lake Ouachita and also where one took a dump in my yard one night. There's a stuffed one in the Ouachita National Forest visitor center at Jessieville that stands 7 ft tall and weighs over 500 pounds.
Does anybody remember that guy bringing the bear to the Tech campus and betting guys that they couldn't pin him? A big ole boy from Minden pinned him one night and the man had a heart attack.

[DogtorEvil]

Why is the color of the bear even an issue here? I dream of a day free of species racism.

Audacity of Hope

[Dawgmatic]

Why is the color of the bear even an issue here? I dream of a day free of species racism.

Audacity of Hope

LMAO.

[Dawgfan71227]

I heard it wasn't a black bear at all. It turned out to be a mangy black dog that some crackhead happened to see, so he called 9-1-1.

[Dawgmatic]

How did it get all the way from the Fairfield Inn to Durden Street so fast - wouldn't it have had to cross Georgia?