Bear roams Good Samaritan campus. 'He looks like he's going to check himself into the ER.'

A bear was spotted Tuesday morning wandering the Good Samaritan Hospital campus in Puyallup.

It was still on the loose hours later.

A photo of the bear shows it roaming on the southern end of the campus, near the Sleep Medicine Center.

“He looks like he’s going to go check himself into the ER,” said police Capt. Ryan Portmann.

The bear walked past the hospital before 9 a.m., MultiCare media relations manager Mark Swart said. Staff members were alerted by email and security was called.

The state Department of Fish & Wildlife was notified and along with police were working to trap the animal, agency spokeswoman Becky Bennett said.

"We set up a bear trap that usually incorporates an attractant like honey or maple syrup," she said.

Once trapped, the bear will be tagged and moved to a less populated area.

A half-dozen reports of bear sightings in southeastern Puyallup have been made since Sunday around Good Samaritan and the Crystal Ridge areas, Portmann said.

Swart said he had not heard of a bear wondering onto the hospital campus before.

To ward off bears, Fish & Wildlife encourages residents to put garbage cans inside garages at night and remove bird feeders and attractive smells.

"Bears are natural opportunists — they’re going for the easy lunch," Bennett said.

State law prohibits feeding wildlife, either intentionally or unintentionally, Sgt. Kim Chandler of the Fish & Wildlife's enforcement program said in an interview with The Puyallup Herald last year.

Anyone who sees the bear wase urged to call Fish & Game police dispatch at 1-877-933-9847.