UPDATED: Bear tranquilized near Boron

A bear causing a stir near Boron Sunday was tranquilized and removed after a daylong ordeal.

A resident contacted The AV Times around noon after the bear had crawled up a utility pole where it remained for about an hour near the 24400 block of Tamarisk Avenue.

“Folks are gathering and getting brave, walking close to the bear and truly traumatizing it,” the resident stated. “Something needs to be done for this bear as it’s really far from home and it’s creating a dangerous situation for the residents.”

Another resident said the bear had been roaming the neighborhood since at least 9 a.m. and authorities were slow to respond to repeated calls for help.

“There is no food or water for this poor thing and not to mention it is very hot here,” the worried resident said.

Kern County Sheriff’s deputies eventually arrived on scene with shotguns, and by that time, the bear was down from the pole and inside a resident’s backyard, a witness said.

Luckily, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife finally arrived around 3:30 p.m. The bear was tranquilized and removed without incident, according to Kern County Sheriff’s officials.

A Fish and Wildlife spokesperson could not be reached for comment late Sunday afternoon.

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UPDATED 9/22/14:

The California black bear is a female, weighing about 25-30 pounds and believed to be about six months old, according to Janice Mackey, Public Information Officer for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. After the bear was tranquilized in Boron Sunday, she was taken to a wildlife rehab center in Tehachapi. The bear appears to be in pretty good shape, but she should have been with her mother, Mackey said. Because the bear is still somewhat dependent on her mother, authorities will be moving the bear to a long-term rehab center in San Diego County, where she will have no human contact. They’re hoping to be able to return the bear to a suitable habitat in Kern County by the winter months, Mackey said.

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