The bear captured at the Harvest at Damonte Ranch apartment complex on Thursday was released Friday morning at Davis Creek Regional Park, Nevada Department of Wildlife officials say.
This area, along with the surrounding Carson Range, is part of the bear’s original home range, so it was released back where it came from. No relocation was done.
Wildlife officials say that the yelling by staff and barking by the dogs after the bear’s release are part of the aversive conditioning process used to teach bears to associate neighborhoods with a negative experience, helping prevent them from returning to populated areas.
After the bear was released, it climbed a tree and the team backed off to give it space. Once the bear came down, the dogs engaged again, and it eventually ran off into the forest.
The incident began when NDOW officials received a call from the Reno Police Department around 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 16 requesting assistance with a bear in an apartment complex off Steamboat. After about an hour, a biologist safely darted the animal, a two-year-old male.
Authorities say there were bags of unsecured garbage left outside at the apartment complex, which likely drew the bear into the area.