Wildlife management shoots bear in Muskogee

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ State wildlife management officials shot a black bear Thursday morning after it ran through a Muskogee neighborhood, police said. <br/><br/>The bear was spotted near a city intersection

Thursday, May 20th 2004, 11:34 am

By: News On 6

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ State wildlife management officials shot a black bear Thursday morning after it ran through a Muskogee neighborhood, police said.

The bear was spotted near a city intersection about 3:30 AM, Sgt. Shannon Humphrey said.

Officers, Animal Control, and Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation agents made three attempts to capture the bear using tranquilizer darts, Humphrey said.

The tranquilizers were having no effect, and the bear ran through the neighborhood. About 5:30 AM, officials decided to kill the bear to protect neighborhood residents, Humphrey said.

The state, particularly the eastern half, has a growing population of black bears that measures into the hundreds, said Nels Rodefeld, assistant chief of the department's information and education division.

The bears are curious but not aggressive, Rodefeld said. Still, it's better to stay away from any bears seen in the wild, he said.

A year ago, a black bear wandered through a McAlester neighborhood before heading into a forest.