Bears Spotted In Fairfax Area: Police

FAIRFAX, VA—Police have a warning for residents: bears can stray from the wilderness into suburban areas. According to Fairfax County Police, bears were recently spotted at Roberts Road and Sideburn Road in the Fairfax area of the county.

Bears can enter suburban areas while searching for food. If they come into contact with people, they could pose significant safety concerns and property damage. (Sign up for real time alerts and a newsletter. iPhone users can download the Patch app in the App Store. Plus, like Vienna Patch on Facebook.)

The easiest way to keep bears from coming onto your property is keeping food secured in trash cans or inside.

To report a bear sighting, call the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries through the Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline at 855-571-9003 or Animal Protection Police at 703-691-2131.

Police, the the Fairfax County Wildlife Management Specialist and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries offer the following tips to residents on keeping bears away from your property:

• Remove food sources outside such as birdfeeders, garbage, compost piles, fruit trees, berry-producing and pet food.
• Secure your garbage in bear-resistant trash cans or store it in a secure building.
• Put your trash out the morning of trash collection, not the night before.
• Do not store household trash, or anything that smells like food, in vehicles, on porches or decks.
• Keep your grill clean.
• Don’t put meat scraps in your compost pile.
• Encourage your neighbors to follow the same steps.

When residents see a bear, authorities offer these tips:

• Do not approach it. Back away slowly and ensure it has an escape route. If a bear huffs or “woofs,” clacks its teeth, growls or slaps the ground, it is warning you that you are too close.
• Keep your distance. In most cases, the bear will move on quickly.
• Bring your pets inside to give the bear a clear path to leave your property.
• Do not try to take a small cub.
• Never feed a bear under any circumstances. In Virginia, feeding bears is illegal on both public and private lands.

Image via Pixabay