Wayward black bear wanders on to UC Davis campus

DAVIS, Calif. (KTVU) - University of California, Davis got an unusual visitor to its campus Tuesday morning, prompting an alert warning students to stay away.

A young male black bear, estimated to weigh 80 to 100 pounds, was spotted around  5:45 a.m. in a parking lot near a park. 

A campus-wide alert was sent out to students.

The bear made his way to a grassy area and then climbed up a tree.

A team with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) arrived on scene and the bear eventually came down. That's when wildlife officials tranquilized the bear.

But it would take a moment for the tranquilizer to kick in, giving the bear an opportunity to climb up another tree. When the animal finally became sedated, he fell out of the tree and dropped to the ground. 

Josh Bush, an environmental scientist with CDFW told UC Davis News that a preliminary examination showed the animal did not suffer any broken bones or major injuries from the fall.

Bush also said the bear may have been looking for a new habitat and speculated that it was “kicked out by its mother who likely just had cubs.”

Wildlife officials said the bear appeared to be healthy. Pending further evaluation, he's expected to be relocated to the hills west of Vacaville.