Black Bear Barely Notices When Outdoor Security Light Turns On

MANASSAS, VA — A medium-sized black bear was caught on a doorbell camera snooping around the yard of a house in Manassas. The bear took a whiff of a garbage or recycling bin but didn't try to tip it over.

The bear was simply moseying around the yard. The bear then set off an outdoor motion sensor security light but wasn't frightened off. In fact, the bear, as seen on the Neighbors app video, appeared not to notice the bright light.

The video is dated Jan. 15, although snowflakes or something white appears to be falling from the sky. It probably wasn't cold enough to snow on Jan. 15, so the video might be from the previous week when the area received a couple inches of snow. Eventually, the bear grows bored with the trash bin and the vehicles in the driveway — or perhaps realizes there's no food to be found — and heads overs to a grassy area that leads to a row of trees.

Black bear sightings are becoming more common in Northern Virginia in residential areas. Last September, a Haymarket resident said a bear knocked over the trash cans outside his house, rummaged through the can's contents and dragged off a garbage bag.

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Although interactions between bears and humans are rare, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has some advice should you come across a black bear:

• Stay calm. If you see a bear and it has not seen you, calmly leave the area. As you move away, make noise to let the bear discover your presence.
• Stop. Back away slowly while facing the bear.
• Give the bear plenty of room to escape. Bears rarely attack people unless they feel cornered or provoked.
• Do not run or make any sudden movements. Running could prompt the bear to give chase, and you cannot outrun a bear. If on a trail, step off the trail and slowly leave the area.
• If a bear is in your yard and it approaches you, make yourself look big and make loud noises. Remain at a safe distance and throw rocks to make the bear feel unwelcome.
• If a bear is in your house, prop open all doors to the outside and get out of the way of the exit. Never close a bear into a room. Make noises and yell at bear to leave the house. Don't approach the bear but make sure it knows it is violating your territory.
• If you surprise a bear, speak softly. This may reassure the bear that you mean it no harm.
• Fight back. If a black bear attacks you, fight back. Black bears have been driven away when people have fought back with rocks, sticks, binoculars and even their bare hands.

Ring, the owner of the Neighbors app, is a Patch advertiser. Patch received no compensation for this article.