Treed Black Bear Dies After Being Darted in Wyoming

CODY, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming officials say an underweight black bear died after they tranquilized it to remove it from a tree it had climbed in Cody.

The Cody Enterprise reports the approximately 90-pound bear initially climbed higher after being struck by the dart Friday before it became immobilized in the tree near the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

Dusty Lasseter of Wyoming Game and Fish says firefighters helped remove the bear. It wasn't until they returned to the wildlife agency's office that they realized the bear had died.

Lasseter says officials think the bear either asphyxiated in the tree or didn't properly metabolize the drug because it was in poor condition.

He says a healthy bear that age would weigh 150 pounds or more.

Officials are investigating the cause of death.