Pa. wildlife officer catches bear for 3rd time

[October 03, 2008]  SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) -- There's something about Scranton that must be special for this bear: He keeps returning. Pennsylvania Wildlife Conservation Officer Mark Rutkowski says the bear he caught near a Scranton elementary school is the same one he caught on Labor Day in Scranton -- and the same one he tagged in April in nearby Moosic.

Charles Sumner Elementary School Principal Dan Williams saw an educational opportunity in Wednesday's event and allowed children to watch from a distance as the bear was in the branches of a tree. Children were turned away during the final minutes when Rutkowski tranquilized the bear and it fell to the ground. Rutkowski says bears show up in cities in search of food and climb trees as a defense mechanism. ___ Information from: The Scranton Times, http://thetimes-tribune.com/ [Associated Press] Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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