Colorado firefighters use ladder truck to rescue bear in tree

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. • It was a bigger-than-average tree rescue for firefighters in Colorado Springs.

They had to use a ladder truck to reach a black bear after it fell asleep in a tall pine tree after being tranquilized Sunday.

The bear weighed between 150 and 200 pounds. State wildlife division spokesman Michael Seraphin says a wildlife officer and firefighters put a harness around it. Then they lowered the bear to the ground as it dangled from the ladder.

Tranquilized bears usually fall out of trees and are caught with a tarp or are low enough for wildlife officers to climb up and retrieve them.

This bear was tranquilized twice, but the first dart only made it climb higher. After the second, it fell comfortably asleep in a crook in the tree.