Bear-ly there

The donkeys will be out Tuesday for the Democratic primary, and we all long for a bull market, but it was a black bear that had things hopping on Feather Lane on Wednesday.

The ursine interloper showed up in a backyard in the 14000 block about 5:15 p.m., Prince William County police said Thursday.

Then the critter ran away almost as soon as he — she? — was spotted, said 1st Sgt. Kim Chinn.

The authorities were alerted, but they ended up having nothing to investigate.

There was no sign of a Winnie the Pooh-style honey pot.

And Feather Lane is about 20 miles from the bears at Forest Park High School. They’re bruins anyhow, so that doesn’t lend any clues.

The truth is, Tall, Dark and Handsome was probably more like “tall, dark and hungry.”

This being early June, the bear could have been looking for food. That’s what the species is after in early spring, according to Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Or, the mammal could have been looking for a mate, a summertime activity.

Adult males may roam beyond their normal territory searching for mates, according to Game and Inland Fisheries’ Web site.

Perhaps we’ll never know exactly what that visitor was looking for in Nokesville. The bear could not be reached for comment Thursday, after all.

Mainly, it’s just good the animal wasn’t chasing a person.

Black bears can outrun a race horse in a short distance and can reach speeds of up to 35 mph, Game and Inland Fisheries wildlife biologist David Kocka said in a video on the department’s Web site.

“I think one misconception about bears is people tend to equate black bears with Yogi Bear from the cartoon: you know, being slow and dumb,” he said. “Black bears are none of those things. They are very intelligent, supposedly second only to primates in intelligence, and they are very fast.”

Staff writer Jonathan Hunley can be reached at 703-369-5738.