Young Bear Captured Near American University Park

A young, male black bear was tranquilized and caught Wednesday morning in the backyard of a home near 49th Street NW and Glenbrook Lane NW, not far from the American University campus, according to a press release from the Washington Humane Society (WHS).

Animal Care and Control Officers from the WHS pursued the small bear for about two hours Wednesday morning through backyards in NW DC, prompting the Metropolitan Police Department to advise drivers to avoid the area around 4900 Rockwood Parkway NW.

The cub was ultimately trapped just before 11 a.m. 

MPD released a statement about the incident:

"MPD received a call from a resident in the 4900 block of Rockwood Parkway.  The resident reported that a black bear was in her backyard.  Second District officers arrived to the location and in fact observed a black bear (male cub) in the yard.  DC Animal Control responded and after an exhausting game of “cat and mouse” they were able to tranquilize the bear. The bear was captured in the rear of a residence in the 4900 block of Indian Lane."

The National Zoo, which had its own animal drama when a red panda went missing Monday, clarified that the bear was not part of the zoo. 

"The black bear sighted in NW DC is not our bear, nor will it be coming to the Zoo," the National Zoo twitter account tweeted Wednesday.