June Deadly For Bears On Maryland Highways: DNR

MARYLAND — Multiple bears were hit and killed by vehicles on highways in the greater Baltimore area this week. The most recent bear-involved crash happened Thursday morning in Baltimore County, officials said.

Nine bears have died on Maryland roads statewide since June 1, Maryland Natural Resources Police spokeswoman Candy Thomson told Patch on Thursday, June 14. The agency has no way of counting the number of injured bears that drivers do not report hitting, she added.

Four of the bear fatalities were east of Frederick, she said, in these locations:

• Interstate 83 south at Shawan Road on Thursday, June 14
• Interstate 95 north at Route 24 on Tuesday, June 12
• Interstate 83 north at the Mount Carmel Road exit on Thursday, June 7
• Baltimore-Washington Parkway/MD 295 in Jessup on Monday, June 4

Weighing about 100 pounds, the bear killed on I-83 south was hit overnight, according to WBAL.

It was the second time a bear was fatally struck on I-83 in one week, according to Thomson.

About 55 bears are killed on Maryland roads each year, Maryland Natural Resources Police told WBAL, mainly during the spring and summer months.

Typically, Maryland's black bear population is concentrated in Washington, Allegany, Frederick and Garrett counties, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Most bears are about 125 to 400 pounds and stay within a 10 to 25-mile radius of where they live.

Sightings in populated areas are most common in June and July, when young bears wander away from rural areas as they look to establish their territory during the late spring through summer months.

In May, police in Frederick said a little bear was "running around the downtown area":

This morning FPD received numerous calls about this little fella running around the downtown area. DNR is in the area and asking for him to be left alone, so he can find his way to a less populated area. Below is a link to the DNR bear info page.https://t.co/h8evfKwKHf pic.twitter.com/Wjdengfsoa
— Frederick Police (@Fred_MD_Police) May 2, 2018

In the past two years, the animal nicknamed "Cecil the Bear" has been spotted in Harford and Cecil counties.

A young black bear looking for a home visited the University of Maryland campus one weekend in 2016 and was spotted elsewhere in Prince George's and Montgomery counties. Bears have also been seen in Howard County, where one climbed a tree at the Timbers at Troy golf course in Elkridge in June 2016 and put a school in Ellicott City on lockdown.

After a period of wandering, young bears usually settle in places with established bear populations in western Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. They typically make dens in wooded areas.

• Bear Sighted In Port Deposit: Sheriff
• Hungry Black Bears Emerging From Hibernation In Maryland
• 'Cecil' the Bear Wanders into Aberdeen Proving Ground
• Bears Make Rounds in Central Maryland Suburbs
• WATCH: Bear Climbs Behind Officer's Back In Maryland Park

What To Do If You See A Bear

Stay inside. If you encounter a bear while outside, go indoors.

If you must remain outside, leave distance between you and the bear. "If a bear woofs, snaps its jaws, slaps the ground/brush or bluff charges, you are too close," the Maryland Department of Natural Resources advises. When bears stand on their hind legs, they are not showing aggression, officials note, but are instead trying to see or smell better.

Make loud noises to get a bear to leave your area. Ensure you have given the bear an escape route.

Never feed bears. Feeding bears is illegal in the State of Maryland.

Report bear emergencies to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources at 410-260-8888.

Image via Shutterstock.

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