In the late afternoon today I received a studio-wide e-mail from facilities warning employees about reports of a bear wandering near the campus. Our studio was built on forested land and the back portion of the campus is next to undeveloped land with nature trails that people use. It was this trail area that the bear was originally spotted, which makes sense since it would be familiar to the bear. The warning told employees to stay out of the trails and that general area until further notice. On sunny days, like today, it’s common for some employees to take a quick walk through some of the trails for a break.
I’d never heard of a bear in this area before so I wasn’t sure of the veracity of these sightings today. It turns out there was indeed a bear in the area. News reports and video from an area adjacent to the studio show the bear in a tree. Conservation officers had to tranquilize the bear and take it away. There have been no reports about what they’ll do with it. Crazy!