It seems cats aren’t the only animals firefighters rescue from trees.
On Sunday, a bear seen wandering around San Tan Valley last week was finally captured thanks to the efforts of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona Game & Fish Department, Queen Creek Fire & Medical Department and Rural Metro Fire.
The cub, dubbed Ted, was corralled at the top of a palm tree at Arizona Farms and Felix roads in Florence.
“Last week, this little bear cub was spotted wandering in San Tan Valley, but PCSO and Arizona Game & Fish Department were unable to track him and find probable ‘claws’ for an arrest,” according to a post on PCSO’s Facebook page.
After little Ted ran up the palm tree, QCFMD and Rural Metro used a fire truck ladder to safely bring the cub back to the ground, where it was tagged by the Arizona Game & Fish Department.
Representing Queen Creek Fire in the rescue was station 411 and Firefighter Rob Keay.
"We were called out on mutual aid, so we responded assisting PCSO and AZ Game and Fish, who was really the lead in the rescue mission, if you will," said QCFMD spokesperson Jennifer Lamis. "We just happened to have the ladder truck that I believe was tall enough to be able to access it.
"(Keay) is just smiling from ear to ear, so excited to hold that bear. He was so happy."
Arizona Game & Fish successfully released the cub back into the wild in the mountains near Globe, according to a post on the Rural Metro Facebook page.
“I guess his beach vacation was short lived. But at least he got to hang out with some cool firefighters,” Rural Metro posted.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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