ARLINGTON, Va. — The DMV appears to be experiencing a surge in bear sightings, with black bears reported in D.C., Maryland and Virginia within days of each other. The Animal Welfare League of Arlington said they have received over two dozen reports of bear sightings in the last few days.
Now, experts say these sightings could all be linked to one bear.
D.C. resident Blake Cooper told WUSA9 he first saw a bear running off into the woods near his home in Northwest on Saturday. Then on Sunday he captured a photo of the same bear in his front yard.
“My first thougt was, is this bear going to come into my garage, and what am I going to do," Cooper said. "He seemed playful. He didn’t seem like he was trying to mess with people."
On Monday morning, a Virginia woman also captured footage of a bear climbing a tree and jumping her fence before running off.
AWLA said it's hard to say for sure that it's the same bear, but their experts believe it is likely based on face shape and size.
“They could easily cover 20 miles in an hour and they are decent swimmers," AWLA's Chief of Animal Control Jennifer Toussaint said. "Yes, the bear could have swam. There are different islands and the Potomac is also narrow, so there is the potential."
Toussaint said the bear appears to be a juvenile male heading north, and he’s been very respectful.
“We’re not getting any complaints about damage or getting into trash cans or anything,” Toussaint said.
Experts say bear sightings around this time are completely normal. They’re just passing by and should be left alone.
“Please give some space," Toussaint said. "We have some people that have tried chasing this bear when he was out yesterday morning. It can be disruptive and you can throw them off their path and they end up on places where they are confused.”
AWLA said it's tracking the bear. They believe he is currently in North Arlington and headed north. Experts said he should be out of the area in a few days.
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