Bear tranquilized in Dartmouth Commons released back to wild: DNRR

A black bear that was tranquilized in a park in Dartmouth, N.S., has been released back into the wild, according to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR).

The young male bear was spotted in a tree in the Dartmouth Commons on Thursday, prompting police to tell the public to avoid the area. The Dartmouth High and Bicentennial schools were placed under hold-and-secure orders as a precaution.

DNRR tranquilized the bear and brought it down with inflatable safety mattresses and a bucket truck. The animal was not injured.

Police received a report that the bear was in the area around 5 a.m. Thursday, but there were no further sightings until after 11 a.m. when it was spotted up a tree in the park.

Parissa Ishani was playing disc golf on the Dartmouth Commons the day after the bear was removed.

“The fact that I didn’t know it was in that tree there, like, it’s pretty scary,” Ishani said.

Butch Galves is a wildlife technician with DNRR. He said they were able to immobilize the bear and release it later that day in an undisclosed, unpopulated area.

“Bears this time of year are in a mode called hyperphagia, so they’re eating almost constantly, looking for food.” Galves said while explaining that bears often wander into populated areas at this time of year.

Bob Bancroft is a wildlife technician. He said, unlike grizzly bears, which can be aggressive, black bears are quite shy.

“It’s interesting to have a species like this that is actually, potentially could be quite horrible that’s really a kind of a teddy bear most of the time,” Bancroft said.

In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), DNRR said they successfully released the bear into the wild.

“This is always our preferred outcome,” the post reads. “We only euthanize as last resort for public safety and/or when it's the most humane thing for the animal. Happy trails, Mr. Bear!”