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Black Bear Tranquilized in Mt. Pleasant Falls From Tree and Is Relocated

Biologists view the capture as evidence of expanding Lower Peninsula bear range requiring coordinated wildlife response.

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Police and firefighters in Mt. Pleasant assisted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in relocating a 150-pound male black bear that wandered into a residential area on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Overview

  • The bear was reported in a Mt. Pleasant neighborhood and, after responders isolated the area, DNR biologists tranquilized it while it sat about 18 feet up a tree.
  • The animal fell onto a thick pole-vault pad borrowed from Mt. Pleasant High School, was checked by biologists, weighed at about 150 pounds, and was relocated to a swamp near Houghton Lake.
  • Mt. Pleasant Police led the response with help from the fire department, streets crews, Isabella County dispatch and the Michigan DNR, and city officials thanked residents for staying clear during the operation.
  • This incident follows mid-May trail-camera and home-security video sightings in Carleton, Flat Rock and Rockwood and comes as the DNR estimates roughly 2,100 bears in the Lower Peninsula, driven in part by young males dispersing for new territory.
  • Officials urged residents to reduce attractants by securing trash, removing bird feeders temporarily and keeping pet food inside, warning that similar urban encounters may increase as bear range expands.