Crowd More Than Beast Could Bear

A black bear that scampered up a tree in the middle of town, attracting hundreds of onlookers, ended its treetop occupation Wednesday.

“It was a great tourist attraction,” police Chief Louis Babin said of the bear’s 24-hour visit to the northern New Hampshire town. Up to 800 people flocked to the tree downtown to look at the 300-pound bear, he said.

Residents flooded the police station with suggestions to lure the bear down. One caller suggested a tub of ice cream at the base of the tree, while another proposed honey at the end of a long stick.

Babin said the bear made its way down in the early morning hours, when its audience had departed.