Rochester (13WHAM) – It caused quite a commotion Tuesday morning: a bear sleeping in a 40-foot tree in Rochester. However, the story turned tragic when the bear fell from the tree after being tranquilized.
The Department of Environmental Conservation said the male bear had died after falling around 40 feet.
The black bear was seen running around a neighborhood in the northwest section of Rochester before it ran up a tree in the front yard of a house overnight Tuesday.
The bear slept in the tree during the night, and drew a crowd.
Two darts were fired at the bear and the second one hit. After being hit, it scampered higher into the trees and then fell. Crews tried to catch the bear in a net, but it appeared to hit the ground.
Officials said it will take about a week to determine what exactly killed the bear.
