Yes, that was a young black bear you saw strolling around Tacoma recently
A young black bear has been making surprise appearances around Tacoma and on social media posts in the last few days.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is, for now, taking a hands-off approach to the ursine appearance. The adult bear appears to be in good health, the agency said. It’s also old enough to be on its own.
“The bear has been seen in multiple locations including Titlow Park and seems to be highly mobile, which is not unusual behavior for a young adult bear this time of year,” agency spokesperson Jennifer Becar said in an emailed response to The News Tribune on Monday.
WDFW has not received reports of the bear causing problems for people. While it’s monitoring sightings of the bear, the agency planned no trapping or relocation attempts as of Monday.
“WDFW is hopeful this black bear will naturally move on through these populated areas into more suitable habitat,” Becar said.
Keeping bears wild
Bears can cause property damage and injure people. WDFW provided several suggestions for reducing human/ursine interactions.
First, non-natural food sources should be secured. Those include garbage cans, bird feeders and pet food.
“If the bear does not find access to easy, human-provided food sources, it will be more likely to move on to more suitable habitat,” WDFW said.
Safety
If you come in contact with a black bear, remain calm, WDFW said. If the bear seems unaware of you, quietly move away when it’s not looking in your direction.
If a bear moves toward you, make yourself as big as possible. Wave your hands above your head and talk to the bear in a low voice.
If the bear continues toward you, clap your hands, stomp your feet and yell. If you are in a group of people, stand shoulder-to-shoulder and raise and wave your arms to appear intimidating.
“The more a black bear persists the more aggressive your response should be,” the agency said.
Above all, do not run from a bear. Despite their lumbering gait and hefty girth, bears can run up to 35 miles per hour. As with cougars, running from a bear can trigger a chase response in the animal.
Urgent reports of bears or other potentially dangerous wildlife that present public safety concerns can be submitted to WDFW by calling 360-902-2936, emailing WILDCOMM@dfw.wa.gov, submitting an online report, or by calling 911.
This story was originally published May 14, 2024, 10:35 AM.
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