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TextBeware of Bears; Keep Your Distance
Fairfax County Police Department
Public Information Office
4100 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Va. 22030
703-246-2253. TTY 703-204-2264. Fax 703-246-4253
FCPD-PIO@fairfaxcounty.gov
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police
News Release: 09/159/LHC (1)
June 8, 2009
Beware of Bears; Keep Your Distance
Police received the first reports of a bear sighting in 2009 today. Residents observed a young black bear trolling through back yards in the Clifton-area shortly after 7 a.m. According to animal control officers, it is not unusual to see black bears at this time of year and residents should not panic or feel alarmed when they see one.
According to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia’s bear population is healthy and growing, estimating that the population has grown by about 37 percent since 2001.
Bears typically avoid humans but in their search for food it is not uncommon to see them. Most often, bears will keep moving through an area once they fail in their attempts to find food. Unless the animal is sick or injured, or is deemed a threat to public safety, animal control officers do not take actions to attempt to remove bears from a neighborhood. Black bears have a natural fear of humans and, in most cases, would rather flee than encounter people.
If addressed quickly, wildlife issues caused by food attractants in yards can be resolved almost immediately. Take the following precautions to keep bears, and other wildlife, away from your home:
- Do not store household trash on porches, decks or in vehicles. Keep it secured in a garage, shed or basement if possible.
- 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 food sources. Electric fencing is an inexpensive and efficient proven deterrent against bears.
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