Bear eludes capture in Arizona

MESA, Ariz. – Authorities called off the search Monday for a black bear that caused a stir when it was spotted running through an alfalfa field on the eastern edge of metropolitan Phoenix.

The encounter in Mesa marks a rarity for a metro area that officials say has a bear sighting reported once every two years. Phoenix and its suburbs are considered a poor food source for bears.

TV news helicopters that captured video of the bear running across rows of green fields had helped push the animal toward a game warden bearing a tranquilizer gun. The warden wasn’t able to get a good shot.

In the end, the animal proved elusive. He ran into a former General Motors test site that contained fields, shrubbery and trees and is too big of an area to track.