WASHINGTON — A black bear has been surprising and alarming Maryland workers and residents in recent weeks, but state wildlife officials say it poses no threat to the public.
“We are relatively certain that this is just one bear that is navigationally challenged,” said state bear biologist Harry Spiker.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has been tracking the bear for about three weeks. It’s been spotted on the College Park campus of the University of Maryland, in a Silver Spring office park and on the back patio of a homeowner in northern Prince George’s County. Wildlife officials said the bear has also tracked through Howard County.
“He tends to keep taking one wrong turn after another. But the most recent turn is a good one. The bear seems to be heading north,” Spiker said.
Bears are incredibly mobile and might cover anywhere from a half-mile to 10 miles in a single day.
“They can swim well, they can travel over land well, they climb trees well. There’s not a fence that can contain it,” Spiker said.
As the bear continues to roam — hopefully into Western Maryland, West Virginia or Virginia — Spiker said residents should avoid providing it easy food sources that might pull it off course. He tells residents that if a bear is spotted near their home, they should bring in bird feeders and confine trash securely.
The bear poses no danger to the public, Spiker said, as long as people keep a safe distance.
Darting the bear to relocate it could cause more problems than it would solve because sedatives don’t immobilize creatures immediately, he said.
“When you dart that animal — that gives it 20 minutes to make a bad decision like running into traffic or creating a public safety issue,” Spiker said.
Spiker estimates the bear weighs between 100 and 150 pounds and is about 1.5 years old.
Two summers ago, a similarly aged bear was captured in a tree on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda.
