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Police shoot wayward bear in New York capital |
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| USA: June 19, 2000 | ||
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ALBANY - Police in the New York state capital shot and killed on Thursday a 400-pound (180 kg) bear that had been wandering through the city's parks and neighbourhoods and frightening joggers and dog-walkers, police said.
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"People were out walking their dogs and running" when they reported seeing the black bear, said Albany police spokesman Jimmy Miller. "The bear came at one of the officers and was shot and killed at about 6 a.m." The bear was not shot with a tranquilliser gun because sleep-inducing drugs, which take about 10-15 minutes to work, can be used only in tightly controlled areas like a tree where there is no risk of flight on the ground, said Karl Parker of the New York department of environmental conservation. "Since it happened in the city, the officers had to do what they thought necessary," said Parker, a senior wildlife biologist at the department. The animal was believed to be the same bear which had been spotted in several towns in the region over the last two weeks, said Parker. The bear had a tag on its ear indicating it had been previously caught and released in Pennsylvania, at least 120 miles (200 km) away. Bears have made a major comeback in parts of the northeastern United States in recent years and have become pests in some areas, rummaging through garbage and frightening residents.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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