Bear Captured In Orting City Limits

Lunchtime Saturday in Orting was full of excitement as a black bear was spotted, treed, and subsequently tranquilized and transported back out of town by Washington state Fish & Wildlife officers.

Dave Harman, owner of Better Properties Valley Associates realty, recounts what happened on his property on Harman Way/Pioneer Way about 1/2 mile west of Orville Road.

"It was kind of funny." said Harman in a phone interview.  "Dad walked around the backyard and there was what he thought was a big black dog in the backyard.  Then he realizes once he was nearly face to face with it that it was a black bear.  There is a pear tree in the backyard, and he had eaten almost all of the pears that had fallen off of the tree.  He then backed up, went inside the house and called the Orting Police Department."

Harmon went on to say that when Police officials arrived, they went out back and they couldn't find the bear.  What had happened is the bear had climbed a big oak tree in the backyard and was 'hiding' in that tree right in the backyard. 

Said Harman, "The Department of Fish & Wildlife then came along and tranquilized the bear with a dart.  It took about an hour before it took the bear completely out, and the nice thing is that the officers on site had set up a tarp for the bear to fall onto...it didn't land on the ground...so that was nice for the bear."

Former Orting Mayor and current City Councilman Sam Colorossi had this to say, "Yesterday afternoon while I was mowing mom’s lawn I noticed all kinds of activity up the street.  There were several police cars, fire equipment and a couple of county animal control units.  Curiosity got the best of me, so I asked the neighbor what was going on.  He said, “ they trapped a two year old black bear” and his daughter proceeded to show me a picture that she took of it.  Now, I’ve lived in this neighborhood all my life, and I am old, and have never seen bears in town nor this close to mom’s house.   Just goes show those poor critters don’t have enough space in which to roam and live anymore."

The bear was then caged and originally was to have said to be taken back up into the woods.  However, this particular bear had already been 'tagged' for being in a residential area before, and thus is labeled a nuisance.

Orting News is awaiting news back from the Department of Fish & Wildlife as to the bear, its past habits, and where it was released to, but is happy to report that the YouTube video below has nothing to do with the Orting Bear.  http://www.youtube.com/v/XrLzVN611QA

Interviews with onlookers and neighbors were equally as colorful as the event itself.  Several hunters stopped during the commotion and had "bear tags" on hand to assist if need be. 

Neighbors around the area have reported bear skat along the Puyallup River Levee Trail, but no sitings or prints have been reported.  Other reports along Orville Road, on both the east and west sides of Orville, have reported sightings of Bobcat, Cougar, Elk, Deer, Coyotes so far in 2010.