Black Bear Captured Near Range Line

A black bear was captured in Joplin last night! The bear was called in to Joplin Police after employees at a daycare center saw the bear run past their building. The scared little guy was then spotted hiding in a tree in a wooded area close to Range Line during rush hour right down the street from Sonic and Taco Bell on 11th Street.

Officer Lacey Baxter was on the scene. She says the bear had been tranquilized and was nervously running up and down the street between Peters and Rex while they tried to corral it into a safe area to remove him.

“It had been darted a couple of times and it was still going strong. It came towards the Duquesne officers and the man I was standing by and they said make some noise. So I yelled ‘Hey Bear!’ This was definitely a first for me!”

The bear is believed to be about 2 years old. He was between the size of a German Shepherd and a Great Dane. They are now on the look out for the mama bear, who may show up looking for him.

*Sad update to the bear that was captured near Rangeline Thursday night. While the bear was safety removed and it was the Conservation Department’s intention to release the bear into the wild, he has since been euthanized because he was too used to being around humans.