UPDATE: Black Bear Spotted in Casper Has Been Captured
UPDATE: The black bear roaming the area of CY Avenue in the Westridge area has been captured. We will have an update soon.
Early this morning reports from Casper residents started coming in to the Natrona County Sheriff's office and Wyoming Game and Fish reporting a black bear in the Casper city limits.
The earliest reports came from residents along Garden Creek and they were reporting that the bear was moving northward toward the city. At last report the bear was in the Westridge area of town near Cottonwood Elementary School at 15th and Willow.
According to Brian Olsen, region supervisor for the Wyoming Game and Fish, they were hoping that the bear would calm down and bed down so that they could get close enough to get a tranquilizer dart into the bear and get him out of the area. He estimated that the bear was about a year and a half and was probably chased off by his mother to find a new home and wandered in to Casper by mistake.
Wyoming Game and Fish reminds everyone that this is a wild animal and should not be approached. If you find this animal or any other in your yard it is always best to call the Game and Fish and allow them to deal with it.
We will update this story as it progresses.