Watch: Bear On The Loose Causes Uproar. How Officials Plan To Capture It

A bear that reportedly wandered from Pennsylvania into Delaware evaded capture on Thursday. The black bear caused an uproar after it was spotted running across parking lots and residential neighbourhoods and getting into people's backyards in Wilmington. In fact, it became something of a social media celebrity in Delaware as people began to share sightings of the bear using the hashtag #Delabear, reports ABC News.

NAAAAAAA B ITS IN MY BACKYARD (s/o @Jimmy_Tries ) YOOOOO pic.twitter.com/5Q4U2AKXvV

— d a n u (@DanuGladobili) December 5, 2019

The #Delabear hashtag, coupled with the bear skillfully evading capture, also led to a ton of jokes and memes on social media. According to CBS News, game officials have been searching for "Delabear" for nearly a week. It has managed to escape authorities in two states so far.

DE State Police: we've got him cornered in Trolley Square. He can't get far. The situation is under control.#delabear: pic.twitter.com/wVVZEZC8zZ

— Morgan Keller (@MorganRuby_K) December 5, 2019

Shout out to #Delabear for bringing the city of Wilmington together for a hot second pic.twitter.com/XG0iU4ovGI

— Laura Massimini (@lamassimini) December 5, 2019

Police say that the bear is scared and running from place to place, making it harder to capture. On Thursday morning, wildlife officials managed to shoot the bear with a tranquilizer gun. The dart, however, fell out, and it continued running and hopping fences. Later that morning, the bear disappeared into the Alapocas woods. Wooded areas and trails at the state park have been closed to capture the elusive bear.

Delaware and Pennsylvania game officials are now using doughnuts and chocolate in hopes of capturing the bear safely. They are placing the confections inside bear traps to lure the animal inside. Once the bear steps in to eat the "bait", it will trigger mechanism to shut the door.

According to The Inquirer, black bear populations have increased in recent decades in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland.