Bear Sightings, Encounters Increase in Virginia as Spring in Full Swing

The number of bear sightings and encounters in Virginia has recently increased as spring gets underway.

Spring and Hungry Wildlife

According to the Department of Wildlife Resources, the spring season is a busy time for wildlife, especially black bears that come out of their winter dens hungry and seeking a quick meal.

The DWR advised homeowners to protect all potential food sources during this period of increased activity to minimize bear encounters on their property.

According to the DWR, in the early spring, it can be difficult to get natural foods, therefore bears will search for simple food sources.

These accessible food sources could include outside pet food bowls, compost piles, barbecue grills, bird seeds, and garbage.

According to Nelson Lafon, the manager of the Forest Wildlife Program for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the goal is to make human food sources more difficult for bears to get than what nature provides, particularly food that is high in fat and calories.

Although bears are naturally wary of people, if people provide them with food, whether on purpose by leaving food out or accidentally by failing to secure waste, pet food, or other food sources, they will become less wary.

Bear Sighting and Encounters

This time of year is also when female bears with cubs start to emerge from their winter den and begin exploring the surroundings, in addition to the fact that adult bears are more active.

Bear cubs may experience brief separations from their moms at this time.

Almost universally, the DWR advised leaving the cubs alone and avoiding assistance, ABC13 News reported.

In Virginia, where there is a strong and expanding black bear population, bear sightings in the spring and summer are common.

But bears unexpectedly appearing in places they have never been before can create quite a commotion.

Bears can be found very much everywhere in Virginia, while the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains, as well as the area surrounding the Great Dismal Swamp, have the highest population of bears.

According to a recent survey of DWR field employees, bear sightings have happened in 85 of Virginia's counties and cities over the past four years.

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The breeding season for black bears lasts from late spring through early summer.

Adult males may go far outside of their natural habitat in quest of females, while adult females give birth every other year between the middle of January and the beginning of February.

The young are prepared to be independent and establish new home ranges, and females who have been raising cubs for the past 11 and a half years are ready to procreate once more.

Young males may need to move far to establish a new home range, whereas young females often establish a home range close to that of their mother.

Bears typically stay away from people, however, they occasionally stray into residential areas, according to Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

Bear-Smart

The Wintergreen Property Owners Association has established a set of guidelines to ensure that bear encounters are kept to a minimum, especially as spring rolls in.

These guidelines include not feeding birds from April 1 to December 31, never leaving food or garbage outside, being aware that open windows and doors increase the risk of a bear getting inside, and locking doors.

The association claimed that bears can and do open car doors.

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