MECHANICSVILLE, Va. -- Central Virginians are reporting black bear sightings near their neighborhoods.
Mechanicsville resident Joan Bowles filmed video of a bear outside of her window by the bird feeder.
“I just kind of stood there and said, 'There is a bear in my yard in the middle of Mechanicsville?” she said.
Lee Walker is the Outreach Director for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. He says there is no reason to be afraid of the animals, and the bears don’t want to be near people. If you see one, keep your distance and let the bear wander away on its own.
“These are wild animals and they don’t need our help,” Walker says.
Black bears are all over Virginia, and he isn’t surprised by the sightings.
Bear outside Joan Bowles' home.
“We are developing these areas where these animals used the resources or habitat for a place to live, and as we develop more and more they have less and less places to travel through these corridors without being seen,” Walker explained.
It’s the time of year to see young bears learning how to survive.
“This is the time that young bears are on the roam the sows have said look you're two years old you're a teenager it's time for you to leave home," Walker said. "And that's what we are seeing young bears without any experience around humans or literally the wild trying to make its way to where it's next meal is.”
That is what attracts the animals to residential areas. The bears are not in neighborhoods to be aggressive, rather they are just looking for an easy meal.
“If you really want to keep him on the move eliminate those food sources bird feeders, cat food, dog food,” Walker advised.
According to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, if you see a young bear the worst thing you can do is feed it. They need to learn how to find food and survive in the wild.
“What we don't want is any wild animal being habituated with being around a human," Walker said. "It's just not good. We like the animals to stay wild and that's how they are going to survive in the wild by staying wild.”
Click here for more information about what to if you spot a bear.
