Bear That Made Its Way Into Auburn Wanders Off After Sitting In Tree All Day

AUBURN (CBS13) — A large bear was hanging out near city hall in Auburn. It climbed a tree in a wooded area that is also right next to Placer High School, forcing students to shelter in place Wednesday afternoon.

"It's a big bear! We've kind of named it the 'Endurance Bear' because it's been sitting up in that tree all day," said Auburn City Manager John Donlevy.

The bear is in a tree in the middle of Auburn. (Credit: Auburn Police Department)

Auburn police and the Department of Fish and Wildlife had the area taped off to prevent people from getting close.

"The plan is to just let him stay there until night time and hopefully it will quiet down. The goal is we don't want to hurt the bear, we just want the bear to go home," Donlevy said.

Donlevy said that was a better option than tranquilizing the bear, which could have caused it to fall and get hurt.

"All the time that I lived here and I did a lot of walking in the woods and everything, I never saw a bear, so it's got to be kind of rare," said Daphne, an Auburn resident.

People who live in Auburn are used to bears being a part of the community but didn't expect it to get this close.

"I think this is where bears belong. And I know that there are neighborhoods that have bears all the time. I have friends that can't put their garbage cans out because bears will go through them," said Susan Quilici.

Vast wildlife areas are not too far away and wildlife experts are confident this bear will find its way.

"We have bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes. The thing about living in Auburn is that there's a huge interface between nature and the community," Donlevy said.

Auburn police and Fish and Wildlife continued to monitor this bear through the night. At some point early Thursday morning, police say, the bear got down and wandered off.