UPDATE: 11 a.m.: The mama bear has been removed. Police and firefighters have left the scene. They’re looking for permission to relocate the bears to a state park. More photos of her removal below.

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UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: The EPD’s Montaga now tells us that they believe only one cub was up in the tree with the mother bear.

That cub has been removed, as documented in the video below. They’re trying to get the mother out now.

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UPDATE, 10:05 a.m.: The EPD’s Laura Montagna has some of the backstory. 

She says that the bears — again, a mother bear and two cubs — were crossing Broadway from west to east when one of the knucklehead cubs turned around in the middle of the highway, scrambled back to Pierson’s and climbed the tree. The others then followed.

The cubs are now laying down on top of the tranquilized mother bear, up there in the tree. Rescuers are trying to grab the cubs. The Outpost’s Ryan Burns reports that a “sad, crying sound” can be heard coming from the tree, but that it’s unclear whether it is coming from the mother or the cubs.

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UPDATE, 9:55 a.m. A ladder truck has been deployed. They’re chainsawing branches to try to get better access.

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ORIGINAL POST:

See that big kerfuffle on the highway in front of Pierson’s?

The reason for that is this: A family of bears have taken up residence in the big tree there. Click the video above to witness them.

Eureka Police Department spokesperson Laura Montagna tells the Outpost‘s Andrew Goff, on scene, that it appears to be a mama bear and two cubs.

As of this writing, the mama bear has been tranquilized, but is still in the tree. Could be a difficult extrication.

Avoid Broadway if possible. We will update.