Young bear killed in Arizona after escaping from transport

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. — A young bear was killed by Arizona Game and Fish Department officials Tuesday after it escaped into a Dewey neighborhood after biting through its carrier.

The bear was scheduled to be released in a remote area after it was initially captured in Prescott Valley on Monday. Officials were able to capture the young bear with a tranquilizer dart on Monday evening and planned to release it on Tuesday, officials said.

The bear was placed in a transport container, which it bit through and escaped into a Dewey neighborhood on Tuesday.

“This is the first time wildlife officials can recall a bear escaping from a transport container in this manner,” the Arizona Game and Fish Department said in a statement. “The container from which the bear escaped has been used several times before to transport bears and mountain lions without incident.”

The bear ran from one neighborhood to another, officials said.

“Because public safety was the department’s top priority and there was no way to shoot the bear with a tranquilizer dart, game wardens decided to euthanize it,” the statement said.

Bear sightings in areas of human activity or where the bear exhibits aggressive behavior should be reported to the AZGFD at 623-236-7201.

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