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November 14, 2009

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Brown bear climbs tree outside governor’s office

Saturday, Oct. 8, 2005 | 11:39 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Maybe he was looking for Sacramento, where his cousin is on the state flag, or maybe he was just trying to make a political statement.

Whatever the reason, a 300-pound brown bear climbed more than 40 feet up a tree outside the governor's office at the state capitol about 3:30 a.m. Friday. It remained perched there for two hours while sheriff's deputies and officials of the state wildlife department waited for it to descend.

Capitol Police Officer Dave Stearns said sheriff's deputies had been searching for the bear when it was spotted wandering across the grounds of the state legislative building.

Stearns said the bear went up the tree and stayed there until Stearns turned on the floodlights on top of the capitol. As the bear climbed down, Carl Lackey, a state game biologist, shot it with a tranquilizer gun.

Lackey said the animal is an "urban nuisance bear" who has made visits to South Reno and Douglas County.

Lackey and his fellow wildlife department agent Alyson Andreasen took the animal to Reno, where it was to be fitted with a collar to will track its movements.

The bear was to then be released in the mountains.

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