Mama bear and cubs come down from tree in Puyallup

UPDATE as of 7 a.m. The bears came down from the tree in the middle of the night. Wildlife officers are setting traps in the area to catch the mama bear and her two cubs.

UPDATE as of 9 p.m. Jackson said he believes the bears are still in the tree.

INITIAL POST: A mama bear and two cubs were stuck high in a tree in a Puyallup neighborhood Tuesday.

Neighbors in the 2900 block of 40th Street Southeast spotted the trio about 5:30 a.m. and called for help.

Ted Jackson, a sergeant with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, responded and placed vanilla extract, syrup and sardines at the bottom of the tree, hoping to lure the bears down.

As of late afternoon, he’d had no luck.

“They’re pretty content where they’re at,” Jackson said.

The mother bear has an ear tag, which means she’s been caught and released in the past.

The bears were about 85 to 90 feet above the ground.

Wildlife officials didn’t want to shoot darts at the cubs, which are no more than 18 months old.

They hoped to lure the bears down and scare them back into a greenbelt behind the neighborhood. Jackson then would set traps to capture the bears and release them elsewhere.

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 7:38 AM with the headline "Mama bear and cubs come down from tree in Puyallup."