A black bear that clambered up a tree at the University of Colorado at Boulder has been returned to the wild after an extraordinary rescue operation that saw the animal fall comically through the air and onto a crash mat. The huge 200lb beast had been seen lolloping around one of the university campus residential areas for the best part of a day before taking up position fifteen feet above the ground in the tree's branches. As students crowded round to watch, wildlife officers tranquilized the bear with two darts. After a few moments, the dozy creature flopped to the ground – safely, if a little absurdly. As he tumbled, the bear's paws were outstretched in a cartoonish fashion, as if he were grasping at the air as he fell. The CU Police Department is quoted as telling the Denver Post that officers chose to sedate the animal because of how close he was to students and the potential dangers that held.
