Looking for love in all the wrong places, black bear wanders into a Pawtucket backyard cookout

A black bear snatched a steak from the grill at a cookout in Pawtucket Sunday evening, but the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management doesn't expect him to return to the neighborhood for another meal.

Still, amid an uptick in bear sightings this year, DEM officials say Rhode Islanders should expect to see more bears in the future as increasing bear populations in Massachusetts and Connecticut push young bears further afield in search of their own territory.

The bear that visited Pawtucket, a young male, was shot with a tranquilizer dart and moved to the Buck Hill Management Area in Burrillville, some 25 miles away, according to the DEM.

"Even though he got a bit of a steak dinner, I don't think he looks at Pawtucket and thinks, 'This is where a bear belongs,' " said Morgan Lucot, a wildlife biologist for the DEM.

In dealing with the uninvited dinner guest, Lucot and environmental police Sgt. Harold Guise tried to deliver a clear message: Humans aren't friendly hosts.

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"We want bears to think people are the worst thing, and they don't ever want to see one again," Guise said.

Bear crashed a cookout in Pawtucket

The Pawtucket police contacted the DEM at about 5:15 p.m. Sunday, noting that a bear had crashed a cookout with "at least some kids" in attendance, according to Guise. When Guise got to Jutras Street, the bear had climbed a tree and was napping on a limb 10 to 12 feet off the ground, he said.

In most cases, as when bears are spotted in more rural areas, it's best to leave a bear alone and let it find its way back into the woods, according to Guise, but officials didn't consider that a good option in such a heavily populated area surrounded by busy streets.

"It really didn't have a place to go," Guise said.

Although the bear created a stir in the neighborhood, he wasn't threatening people.

"His focus was on a big, juicy steak and not the people in that yard," Guise said.

Scott Bergemann, an environmental police officer trained in shooting animals with tranquilizer darts, was out to dinner with his wife, Cheryl, when he got a call telling him he was needed, Guise said. Bergmann left the restaurant and shot the bear, which dropped out of the tree uninjured, Guise said.

Was the bear okay?

Some people who live in the neighborhood were concerned about the bear's welfare after seeing it take the fall, Lucot acknowledged, but she and Guise said bears are tough animals and capable of absorbing such falls without injury. She examined the bear, and determined he was okay.

The bear was given another dose of sedative and driven to the Buck Hill Management Area. Lucot stayed nearby until the bear awakened and ambled off around 11 p.m.

"He woke up somewhat groggily," she said.

Lucot hazed the bear with loud noises to emphasize that he didn't want to be around humans.

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Why was the bear in Pawtucket? Food and ladies.

In finding his way to Pawtucket, the bear, estimated to be 2 to 3 years old, was doing what young male bears do, Lucot said, wandering in search of "food and ladies" in areas where they don't have to contend with older adult males. "This is very typical of males his age," she said.

Before finding his steak dinner, the bear snacked at some neighborhood gardens and birdfeeders, Lucot said residents told her.

The DEM has received several reports of bear sightings this year. Bears have been reported in Woonsocket, Burrillville, North Smithfield, Johnston and North Kingstown. Officials let those bears find their way back into the woods.

Despite an increase in bear sightings, it had been several years since the DEM has had to tranquilize and move a bear, according to Guise. The last time it happened was in 2016, when a bear found its way into the parking lot at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence early on a June morning.

Bears can wander a long distance and, Dulcot said, it's likely this bear will amble beyond the management area, but she doubts it will go back to Pawtucket.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bear on the run: Pawtucket black bear tranquilized in backyard, relocated