A black bear wandered through Arlington, Virginia, on Monday. Officials are asking neighbors who spot the bear to keep their distance as the furry animal moves through.
The bear was seen on North Ottawa Street around 9 a.m. and the county’s animal control department confirmed it’s been spotted all around the North Arlington corridor.
ArlingtonNow first reported the bear sighting.
Resident Charlie Stuart-King said the bear walked up to his home and sniffed trash cans. He took some videos of the animal, which he described as “chill”:
Coming up on WTOP. “Motion Detected in Driveway” a young black bear pays a visit to an Arlington neighborhood. In talking to the neighbors who saw it! @WTOP pic.twitter.com/Km5sIP3LUd
— Mike Murillo (@MikeMurilloWTOP) May 13, 2024
“It’s just about the most exciting thing since the solar eclipse,” he told WTOP.
A closer look at the big guy as he walked through this neighborhood at around 9 this morning. @WTOP (Credit: Charlie Stuart-King) pic.twitter.com/dI1R8rOn0Y
— Mike Murillo (@MikeMurilloWTOP) May 13, 2024
The bear gave some residents a scare when it dashed across Langston Boulevard.
One neighbor captured it running across Langston Blvd. Luckily it crossed at a time with no passing cars. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/2qpMXLGC3Z
— Mike Murillo (@MikeMurilloWTOP) May 13, 2024
Jennifer Toussaint, chief of Animal Control in Arlington County, said keeping your space from the bear is important in staying safe.
She said residents should make sure to remove bird feeders in addition to securing trash.
Arlington’s Animal Welfare League also has some tips for bear safety:
If you spot the bear, you can report the sighting to the league by calling (703) 931-9241.
“When following that watershed, they end up kind of coming through our very urban area just for a very short period of time before again they continue North and West,” Toussaint said.
Just last week, a black bear was spotted in Northwest D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood.
The bears usually only stick around for a couple of days as they move onto their next destination.
WTOP’s Jessica Kronzer contributed to this report.
