A bear was spotted on Sinclair Mill Road in the Manassas area Thursday, police and witnesses said.
Area residents said the bear ran around houses in that area before returning to the woods.
In Fairfax County, the first bear sightings of the season were reported Thursday, police there said.
Callers reported seeing a medium-sized black bear crossing Holly Briar Lane in Great Falls around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. More bear sightings were reported around 6:30 a.m. Friday near Bennington Woods Road, Stowe Road, and on a walking trail near Autumn Wood Drive in Fairfax County.
If you see a bear, don't panic, animal control officials said.
"Bears typically avoid humans, but in their search for food it is not uncommon to see one," Fairfax County officials said in a news release. "Most often, bears will keep moving through an area once they fail in their attempts to find food."
Animal control officials will not remove a bear from a neighborhood unless it is sick or injured or poses a threat to public safety, officials said.
In a news release, Fairfax County animal control officials offered the following tips to keep bears and other wild animals away from your house:
- Do not store trash on porches, decks or in vehicles.
- If a bear is sighted in your neighborhood, remove birdfeeders.
- Take garbage to the curb on the morning of pickup, rather than the night before.
- Consider installing electric fencing around gardens, dumpsters and other potential wildlife sources.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement