Bear at Medford school tranquilized, hauled away

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A young male black bear sits in a tree at Lone Pine Elementary School in Medford this morning as police awaited the arrival of wildlife agents. It was later tranquilized and hauled to the Hyatt Lake area.Mail Tribune / Jim Craven

9:55 a.m. update: A 100-pound black bear treed at Lone Pine Elementary School in Medford this morning is on its way to the woods near Hyatt Lake.

The young male bear appeared to be healthy after Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Mark Vargas tranquilized it and it dropped from a tree near the school's swing sets, Vargas said.

Vargas said the bear was similar to one that drowned in Bear Creek in downtown Medford about three weeks ago after wildlife agents tranquilized it.

The bear entered the Lone Pine grounds just before 8 a.m. from a water park directly to the east of the school, wildlife agents said. They think it wandered into town from the hills east of Medford looking for food and smelling garbage.

The school's 533 students were kept on lockdown inside school buildings during the bear's stay on the playground.

- Mark Freeman

9:38 a.m. update: Wildlife agents have tranquilized a black bear treed at Lone Pine Elementary School in Medford.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife agent Mark Vargas shot the tranquilizer into the cinnamon-colored animal at about 9:28 a.m.

The bear initially ran further up the tree it was in near the school's swing sets, but it fell to the ground after about four minutes.

Workers were moving a pickup truck into place to haul the animal away from the school, where more than 500 students have been in lockdown all morning.

- Mark Freeman

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