ARLINGTON, Va. — The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) says workers contracted by the Virginia Department of Transportation are responsible for the body of a dead bear found in a plastic bag near a walking trail Friday night.
Animal Control responded to a report of a deceased dog around Spout Run Parkway near North Adams Street around 8:30 p.m. Friday, but instead found a black bear inside a plastic bag.
Days later, AWLA released an update saying they were contacted by the Department of Wildlife Resources around 3:30 p.m. Monday. Wildlife officials informed AWLA that a company contracted by VDOT has taken responsibility for the dead bear.
The workers, who are not VDOT employees, say the bear was hit by a vehicle on Interstate 66 in Prince William County. The workers then took the bear to Arlington and illegally dumped the bear over an overpass onto the Curtis Memorial Trail, AWLA explained.
“There was a lot of smell, a strong smell and there were flies. A lot of flies," said Sonia Nayar who was on a walk with her son and dog Friday evening. "My dog just went directly to the bag."
Nayar’s discovery and post to Nextdoor sparked nationwide interest. Mostly, people are upset that a black bear could be found in these woods in that condition.
“That shows that a lot of people really care about our wildlife and want to protect animals. I feel the same way, we really love our wildlife," said Nayar. "It was unfortunate. It was sad, unfortunate news because you didn’t know how the bear ended up there."
AWLA said it is "working with the Department of Wildlife Resources to determine if charges will be filed for this egregious behavior."
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