A wandering bear that had been living off Wrightsboro Road in Richmond County for more than a week was captured late Friday by animal control authorities.

The black bear was first spotted near Thomson over the July Fourth weekend, then at a bird feeder in a Grovetown backyard and near a trash bin behind Miyabi restaurant on Augusta West Parkway. It apparently had stayed in the same area since its last sighting July 15, said biologist Vic VanSant of the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division.

"It was probably in the same area along Wrightsboro and Jimmy Dyess all this time," he said.

The male was seen about 10:15 p.m. Friday, and Richmond County Animal Control officers shot it with a tranquilizer dart.

The animal was asleep by 10:30 p.m., and officers from the Thomson regional Wildlife Resources Division were on their way with a cage to load the bear, which will be taken to the north Georgia mountains today and released.

"We're not sure where this bear came from, but generally we take them up to the northern part of the state and they seem to do well there," Mr. VanSant said. He said the bear was at risk of being hit by a car or other dangers if it were left in town.

The bear, presumed to be a migratory young male seeking new territory, was the second such animal known to visit Augusta this year.

In June, a large male bear was captured at the 4-H camp off Mike Padgett Highway and relocated to north Georgia. A tag in that bear's ear was later traced to Lake City, Fla., where the animal had been captured and released last fall.