The Surprising Way Wildlife Officials Freed A Bear Cub From A Tree

A black bear cub that was caught napping in a tree outside UNC Rex in Raleigh on Tuesday (July 13) has been freed, thanks to the surprising way wildlife officials helped bring him down.

Experts with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) said they were able to lure down the young cub, whom they nicknamed "Rex," early Wednesday morning by placing sardines and jelly donuts on the ground near the tree, WRAL reports. Once it was safely freed from the trees, it ran away and is considered to be no longer a threat to the public.

According to NCWRC's Wildlife Management Division Chief Brad Howard, the cub likely arrived in the area Monday night but climbed into the tree for safety once daylight revealed he was in a populated area, calling it a "rather traumatic experience" for the cub.

"They don't really understand ... they just follow creeks and rivers that lead into our cities," he said.

While monitoring the cub throughout Tuesday, officials noticed that its fur was matted and it could have road rash, signaling it could have been hit by a car recently. Raleigh Police confirmed that a car hit a bear a couple weeks ago, and biologists believe it is the same animal.