Young black bear safely removed after 'hanging out' in Herndon neighborhood

Bear safely removed from Herndon neighborhood

A young black bear was on the loose in Herndon Monday afternoon. It was an all hands on deck approach to get this black bear out of the tree he took refuge in, and he was eventually captured.

HERNDON, Va. - A young black bear was on the loose in Herndon Monday afternoon. It was an all-hands-on-deck approach to get this black bear out of the tree he took refuge in, and he was eventually captured. 

FOX 5 was right here on the scene on Elden Street watching rescue crews bring down what the neighborhood nicknamed "Elden the Bear." 

Neighborhood bear watch:

People in the Herdon neighborhood say watching police and wildlife crews rescue the young black bear was the highlight of their day.

The bear was first spotted this morning in a neighbors yard around 8:15 a.m. The Department of Wildlife Resources was notified and that's when the alert went out.

The bear spent most of its time in this tree in the front yard of a home on Elden and Center Streets, drawing a crowd of people.

Later in the afternoon, a crew with the Department of Wildlife Resources arrived to help the bear out of the tree. Around 5 p.m., it came down but made a run for it, heading to the backyard climbing onto another tree. That's when he was tranqualized.

Firefighters were called to assist with a ladder and catch tarp. The bear finally fell out of the tree just before 7 p.m.

What they're saying:

"What can we say, we're a very inclusive town in Herdon and we love to invite all of our guests," Herndon Mayor Keven LeBlanc said. "We believe that he came from Maryland, you might have noticed he had a tracker. Came through McLean to Herdon."

Neighbors say they didn't realize a bear is what would bring them together.

"Very nice and good to see the community together. Thank God the bear is safe now," Herndon resident Tenee Thrasher said. 

We get to see neighbors we havent seen in a while. Chit chat, seeing the kids out, the dogs. It was fun. Thank you Elden the bear," neighbor Bill Boone told FOX 5. 

We're told rescue crews are taking the bear to a Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Wildlife Management Area where he can roam freely.