Bear left: After attracting crowd in Bayou Vista, he escapes into the night

The Bayou Vista black bear on Clarke Road left his safe haven tree Wednesday “during the quiet of the night.”
The bear was spotted there Tuesday.
It was identified as a young male weighing approximately 250 pounds.
A growing crowd of bear spectators in the area prevented the bear from coming down.
“It was too much activity,” St. Mary Parish Bear Conflict Officer Catherine Siracusa said
The black bear feels safest in the tree, Siracusa said. As long as there are people around, it will remain there.
At one point, it was reported that someone poked the bear with a stick when it climbed down to a lower tree branch, Siracusa said.
As a result, he climbed back up to the top of the tree.
Running up a tree is an escape mechanism for bears, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Large Carnivore Program Manager Maria Davidson said.
“It’s a lot safer for the bear to come down on his own as opposed to us trying to dart a bear that can then run 30 to 40 feet up a tree,” Davidson said.
“Typically what happens is the bear waits until he feels safe, meaning everybody is gone usually at night, and then he’ll come down.”
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office put up roadblocks to keep vehicle traffic away and ward off foot traffic. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries remained on post, keeping watch and waiting for the bear to come down from tree.
Although a bear trap was set, he managed to avoid being caught.
In order to discourage a bear from coming into your yard, residents are encouraged to put up bird feed and pet food, and to secure their garbage.
“Bears are like stray dogs,” Davidson said. “If you don’t want them hanging around your house, just make sure they never find anything to eat.”