Un-Bear-Able: DelcoBear goes into hibernation

A day after being sighted in several Wilmington neighborhoods, the DelcoBear turned Dela-Bear seems to have gone into hibernation.

No sightings of the critter were noted Saturday, just a day after the 200-pound bear rambled through several Wilmington neighborhoods, bounding over fences and inspecting several decks.

After spending most of Thursday morning causing havoc in Wilmington, the Dela-Bear beat a path out of town and was believed holed up in Alapocas Run State Park. But he (or she, officials are not sure of the sex) has not been seen since.

Game officials put out large traps laden with donuts and chocolate in an attempt to lure the bear, to no avail.

The bear first popped up earlier in the week, spotted in Radnor, then moseying along to Springfield and Radnor. There also were bear sightings in Aldan and Collingdale. Then a sighting in the western end of the county, in Aston, prompted officials to conjecture that there may in fact be two bears ambling around the county.

But DelcoBear turned DelaBear

really put on a show Wednesday and Thursday, when he was first spotted in Claymont, then turned up early Thursday in the Trolley Square neighborhood in Wilmington.

Several residents captured the bear on video as he check out trash cans, backyards and decks.

At one point officials believed they had the bear cornered in a yard, only to see it scramble away.

At one point the bear was even hit with a tranquilizer dart, but it apparently did not penetrate the skin before it fell out.

For now, officials believe the bear is still holed up in Alapocas State Park. They caution citizens not to approach the bear should they encounter it, and instead to call 911.