Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor
VCU Police officers had just gotten out of a morning briefing when the department received an unusual call.
“Somebody told them they thought it might be a big Rottweiler or something, and they saw it and they were like ‘yeah, no, that’s not a dog,’” VCU Police spokesperson Jake Burns told The CT.
After arriving at the scene, the initial report officers received was confirmed to be true. A teenage, 100-pound black bear was wandering around the VCU-adjacent Oregon Hill neighborhood.
The notice came in around 6:50 a.m. on May 14 from the 400 block of South Pine Street — just next to Pleasant’s Park.
VCU Police officers Gregory Perry and Jason Malone could not find the furry fellow at first, not until bystanders proved its presence with videos off their phones. They decided to look again, this time up, leading them to find the bear in a tree.
The officers kept the bear cornered off until animal control and state officials could arrive. The creature roamed between people’s yards, and at one point even got on someone’s roof.
“As he was hopping the fences, we made loud noises and shouted and made ourselves look big,” Perry said.
Perry has been with VCU Police for four years. He called the incident out of the ordinary for a day’s work.
“This is my first bear call,” Perry said.
A band of VCU Police, Richmond Fire Department, Richmond Animal Care & Control and Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources officials roped off the alleyway where the bear last lingered until biologists could arrive, as first reported by The Richmonder. They successfully tranquilized and caged it around 11:30 a.m. — ending the hours-long escapade.
The bear was in good health and has already been relocated to a wildlife management area, according to the DWR.
Young, male bears tend to leave their dens in the Spring to look for new homes.
“When you have young bears, a lot of times they make wrong choices,” said DWR spokesperson Shelby Crouch. “They turn in the wrong direction, they’re looking for food.”
Natural foods can become scarce, so bears might look for easy options in garbage cans, compost bins, barbeque grills and bird feeders — especially in urban settings, according to Crouch.
Residents can avoid ursine visits by locking up those items and cleaning their decks and yards. They should never attempt to secure a bear on their own.
In the event of a bear sighting, VCU Police suggests contacting the DWR Wildlife Conflict Helpline at (885) 571-9003.
