Cops: Black Bear Took Up Roost in Tree

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies do more than catch bad guys and protect and serve people.

There are days when they also safeguard residents from local wildlife run amok, or vice versa.

That was the case May 17 as deputies from the District III area reported to the scene of a wildlife call. A black bear, about 250 pounds in heft, had climbed a tree at 2817 Broad St.

Deputies kept watch while the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission deployed officers to help. Those officers used tranquilizer darts to get the bear out of the tree, The Tampa Tribune reported.

Eloy Perez, 70, was alerted to the bear in his backyard by his dog, Summer.

“I ain't ever seen anything that quick,” Perez told the Tribune. “That bear ran up that tree like a squirrel.”

The sheriff’s office’s District III covers a good chunk of Carrollwood and has its headquarters in Citrus Park.

The bear has been released into the Ocala National Forest, according to Baryl Martin, public information officer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Check out The Tribune's full story here.

What's the strangest wildlife run-in you've had? Tell us by commenting below!

Keep up with what's happening around town by signing up for our daily email newsletter!

Editor's note: This story was updated May 17 at 3:17 p.m. to include information about the capture.