Black Bear in Albany Has Standoff with Authorities, Becomes Local Celebrity

A black bear's "standoff" with local authorities has turned it into a celebrity, of sorts. Simply named Albany Bear...the 175 pound black bear was first seen Tuesday, near the Exit 23 tollbooth of the New York Thruway. Soon the bear made it's way to the backyard of Albany resident Chris Shumway ,and climbed over 70 feet up one of the trees located on the homeowner's property

The Department of Environmental Conservation tried to get the bear down with tranquilizers but was unsuccessful. This has lead to a standoff between the bear and the agents, as the bear climbed even higher up the tree. The DEC made the decision to kill the bear once it comes down, given its close proximity to the residential neighborhood, schools, and roads.

This has lead to backlash from an animal rights group called NYCLASS, who's urged DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens to not go through with killing the bear. The group even gave the bear it's own Twitter Account now HERE. Now Twitter followers, and other animal rights group have joined the fight to keep Albany Bear alive.

UPDATE: According to this Twitter report (and updated news HERE), the bear fell out of the tree and was taken by NYDEC to a facility in Delmar, NY. It is uncertain at this time if the bear was injured.