No more bear sightings in Cd'A

COEUR d’ALENE — Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials hope the young black bear wandering on Eighth Street in Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday and hanging out in evergreen trees has found its way back to the nearby mountains last night or early this morning.

IDFG Spokeswoman Kiira Siitari said this morning that IDFG Regional Wildlife Manager Micah Ellstrom at 7:30 a.m. today checked out the latest tree on Eighth that the yearling bear was hanging out in late Wednesday afternoon and it wasn’t spotted in the thick evergreen.

“It sounds like the bear is out of the tree and we haven’t had any new reported sightings,” Siitari said. “That’s good news for us. Hopefully it has found its way back (to the Coeur d’Alene National Forest about a mile away).”

Siitari said she couldn’t speak to the bear’s sense of direction in finding its way back to the woods.

“He’s just a little guy, but we’re assuming he’ll figure out his way,” she of the bear that’s estimated to be about 60 pounds.

A resident of the neighborhood also told The Press this morning that activity on Eighth Street has died down today.

Siitari said it’s quite possible that the bear’s mother had more cubs this spring and this one got the boot.

IDFG attempted to tranquilize the bear that was about 60 feet up in an evergreen in hopes of relocating it to a forest.

However, when those efforts were unsuccessful due to the thick tree, authorities elected to leave it alone, hoping it would climb down when onlookers below left.

Coeur d’Alene Police, several neighbors and IDFG officials kept an eye on the bear for about five hours on Wednesday before it was decided to let the bear be.

IDFG officials don’t have a reason to believe that the bear has gotten accustomed to life in the city because this was the first reported sighting of it and therefore they don’t believe it is a major pubic threat as such.

Authorities believe the bear doesn’t want to remain in city limits due to its evasive actions.

However, if bears stay in a city for prolonged periods of time, euthanizing the animals is a possibility due to them becoming more of a threat.

Bear sightings in town are neither common nor rare. In 2014, a black bear was spotted in a tree near Woodland Middle School.

If anyone sees the bear, they are encouraged to call IDFG at 208-769-1414.