Lone bear cub leads officers on chase through Petersburg grocery store

It was business as usual in a Southeast grocery store Tuesday until an unexpected shopper showed up, giving shoppers quite a shock.

According to Alaska State Troopers, two Wildlife Troopers and units from the Petersburg Police Department were called to Petersburg’s Trading Union IGA when a black bear cub was found wandering the produce aisle.

Using a humane steel catch pole, officers chased the cub through the aisles of fruits and vegetables until they were able to corner him where the shopping carts are stored. Once caught, they then escorted the protesting cub out of the store.

After some fuss, officials were able to place it in the back of a trooper vehicle and take it away from the store.

According to Justin Freeman with the Alaska State Troopers, the cub was ultimately euthanized.

“In coordination with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, we euthanized the bear for a variety of factors. The bear was small and emaciated for this time of year. It did not have any measure of fat that would have sustained it through the winter,” Freeman said. “It was also abandoned, for unknown reasons, and therefore did not have any way to significantly acquire resources to recover from its condition. A small bear would not likely be able to handle the stress of transportation to a holding facility, and no known facilities had a placement for a black bear.”