An APS lineman from Prescott assisted Arizona Game and Fish wildlife officers and Crown King firefighters in relocating a bear and its two cubs after the bears were seen in a Crown King resident’s garage.
The Game and Fish officers were patrolling through Crown King on October 27th when an area resident flagged them down and told them the bears were currently in his garage getting into garbage. The bears had been seen over the past couple of months and seemed to be increasingly comfortable frequenting areas of human development.
The wildlife officers quickly evaluated the situation, then darted the sow and both cubs with a sedative. With the assistance of Crown King Fire Department personnel, the officers were able to capture the bear and one cub and safely remove them to a more suitable area away from people. The other cub quickly climbed a power pole, became entangled in phone lines near electrical equipment, and fell asleep.
Due to the height and proximity to the power lines, APS was contacted. An APS employee drove his bucket truck from Prescott to Crown King and, after determining the best technique to extricate the cub, managed to lower the cub safely to the ground.
The bear and one of the cubs were released last Monday at an approved release site in a remote area. The other cub was discovered to have a previous infection in one of its legs when it was captured, and it was taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center, where it was evaluated by a veterinarian and treated with antibiotics.
Arizona Game and Fish officials expressed their gratitude to APS and the Crown King Fire Department for their assistance. The department reminds everyone that the chance of bear conflicts can be reduced by keeping food sources and garbage secured and inaccessible to wildlife.