A 200-pound black bear that had dodged wildlife officials in the subdivisions of Penn Hills for two months turned itself in Friday morning in exchange for Krispy Kreme doughnuts filled with licorice flavoring.
The bear, which is about 18 months old, was trapped in woods off Sara Street about 11 a.m., state Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer Beth Fife said. Fife put the trap out shortly after midnight and the bear crawled in, enticed by the doughnuts, sometime after that.
"We've been tracking this bear for about two months,'' Fife said. "People kept seeing it, but it didn't hurt anyone or do anything wrong. It was just being a bear and getting into people's garbage cans.''
The bear wasn't hurt and is being kept in a private garage at an undisclosed location, Fife said.
"It's stressed out about being captured, and we need to keep it calm, cool and stress-free for now,'' she said.
The gender of the bear isn't known, Fife said. On Sunday, the bear will be tranquilized, its ears will be tagged and the inside of its mouth tattooed with an identifying mark. The animal also will be weighed and measured, and then driven to a mountain area to be released.
"These black bears are so gentle and so friendly, and they really aren't aggressive toward people,'' Fife said. "But a neighborhood in Penn Hills is not a good home for them.''
