Los Angeles— Fire, police and Fish and Game officials found themselves with a problem on their hands Wednesday morning: a 90- to 150-pound black bear that had become stuck in a Porter Ranch pine tree about 15 feet above the ground.

“We are sending more units out there with a rescue cushion in the event the bear falls,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott told our sister blog L.A. Now of the effort to free the animal. That cushion certainly came in handy later in the morning when the wayward bear fell from the tree after being tranquilized. It is reportedly safe and is being cared for by wildlife officials until the effects of the tranquilizer wear off. (May 26, 2010) —Photo: KPA / ZUMA / REX FEATURES

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Not a firefighter rescue – although they thought about getting a ladder truck in there to help the bear climb out – but an incredible story I had to include.

Ann Bryant of the Lake Tahoe Bear League said that when she received a call to help, she had a difficult time believing the incident was true. “I wouldn’t have believed it either until I got there,” she said Thursday as she recalled the rescue effort. At first, authorities decided that nothing could be done to help. But when they returned the next morning, they found the bear sound asleep on the ledge. After securing a net under the bridge, the animal was tranquilized, causing it to fall into the net. It was lowered to safety, after which it walked away. (September 2007) —Photo credit not given in article

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