A young black bear that prompted a large-scale search in East Falls and Roxborough on Thursday has officially been captured, according to Pennsylvania game wardens.
There was a period of uncertainty late Thursday afternoon when reports surfaced that the bear had been tranquilized.
Philadelphia photojournalist Bastiaan Slabbers tweeted around 4:30 p.m. that the bear was spotted in the area of the Cathedral Village retirement community. Slabbers said an employee had called 911 and the bear was tranquilized.
Slabbers later tweeted that there seemed to be "confusion" about whether the bear had been captured.
By 6:30 p.m., game wardens confirmed that the bear was in fact captured.
Earlier Thursday, a Roxborough resident captured footage of the bear attempting to find food in a dumpster. The sighting happened around 11:20 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 7900 block of Henry Avenue.
MORE: Jersey Shore concert series canceled to protect endangered piping plover birds
A Reddit user also uploaded of a video of the bear at an apartment complex in Roxborough's Andorra neighborhood.
Bear in Andorra earlier today. from r/philadelphia
Officials had estimated the bear is about two years old and may have been the same one seen in parts of Bucks and Montgomery counties over the past week. Its path through the region from north to south over the last five days would suggest it is the same bear.
An intensive search was launched Wednesday when the bear was spotted on the train tracks of SEPTA's Manayunk/Norristown Line. News helicopters flew to the scene as police and Pennsylvania Game Commission wardens worked to locate the bear.
Slabbers said the black bear cub will be released at Hawk Mountain in the Lehigh Valley.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission offers the following safety tips for bear sightings.
• Don’t put trash out until the morning of collection
• Clean garbage cans regularly using bleach
• Clean your outdoor grill, properly dispose of grill grease and bring bird feeders in at night
• Store trash, bird seed and pet food inside a building, garage or secure shed
• Bring pet food in at night
• Don’t place food out for other wildlife (Be aware that intentionally feeding bears is against the law in Pennsylvania.)
Check back for updates on this developing story.