Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers relocated a bear Thursday morning after it clung to a tree behind a home in Castle Rock for more than 24 hours.

Typically we would not relocate a bear out of that area of Castle Rock. Castle Rock is in bear habitat, but because it was in this backyard for over 24 hours wildlife officers decided to go hands on to ensure the bear was healthy & out of safety precautions. pic.twitter.com/MlKxWQucJc

— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) September 16, 2021

Castle Rock police got reports of the wandering bear Wednesday from neighbors. Residents were urged to avoid the area of Mickelson Boulevard and Brantly Avenue while the bear was in the tree.

Castle Rock: Authorities work to capture bear that wandered into neighborhood

Wednesday night, wildlife officers said they decided to leave the bear alone, in hopes it would climb down and vacate the area on its own. However, the residents called Colorado Parks and Wildlife Thursday morning stating it was still there.

Wildlife officers tranquilized it and removed it from the tree, said Jason Clay, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. 

Clay said wildlife officers indicated the bear, a male, was in good health and weighed over 300 pounds. 

BEAR IN FOUNDERS: There is a bear located in a tree near Mickelson Blvd. and Brantly Ave. CRPD’s Animal Control unit and officers are in the area. Please keep away from the immediate area. If you have students walking to school, you may want to choose an alternate route. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/roVIzCxrmD

— Castle Rock Police (@CRPoliceCO) September 15, 2021

Although the bear was brought down safely, wildlife officers decided to relocate the animal from Castle Rock to southwestern Douglas County on Thursday.

“In this case, wildlife officers made the call to (relocate the bear) because it had been there for over 24 hours,” Clay said. “As an added safety precaution we decided to get it out of the area.”

Bear found in Highlands Ranch backyard, relocated to wild

Bears are more active around this time of year as they’re preparing for hibernation and can consume 20,000 calories per day. As a result, human and bear encounters are more likely in the late summer and early fall months, Clay said.

“We want to remind residents that its important as bear activity increases that there aren’t attractants outside their home,” Clay said. “No bird feeders, be smart with trash and do not leave it out. Maybe people have fruit trees in their yard, which is a great food source for bears, but we recommend picking the ripened fruit and harvest it when it’s ready.”