
From the Bethesda Gazette....
A black bear was spotted this week making its way from Potomac to West Rockville and into the Germantown area, and state officials expect to see more of the animal in central Maryland as the bear population grows. Residents began reporting bear sightings near Congressional Country Club on River Road in Potomac on Friday. By Sunday, a bear matching the same description was reported near Montrose and Falls roads in Rockville. Monday afternoon it was seen in Germantown, near Seneca Creek State Park.
Officials from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) responded to the Rockville sighting and determined the bear was no threat to humans. DNR does not relocate or kill bears unless they are injured or act in an aggressive manner.
Estimated to weigh 100 pounds, the bear is probably a young male, leaving its juvenile range by way of the Potomac River corridor in search of its own territory, said Paul Peditto, director of DNR’s Wildlife and Heritage Service. Adult males can weigh between 150 and 300 pounds. Hunting black bears has been prohibited in Maryland since 1953. ‘‘I suspect he won’t stop until he gets to the outskirts of Frederick or Washington counties,” Peditto said. ‘‘Those are the closest counties where we have confirmed residents of breeding bear populations.”
Black bears looking for unoccupied territory have been regular visitors to Montgomery County for the past several years. Bear populations are growing in western Maryland, pushing more of them into other parts of Maryland. ‘‘We can expect to see more bears in the central sections of the state,” Peditto said.
Black bear populations have rebounded in Maryland since reaching historic lows in the mid-20th century. They are found in high numbers in Garrett and Allegany counties, with a population density estimated at about 40 bears per 100 square miles, Peditto said. Comparable Pennsylvania counties average between 20 and 25 bears per 100 square miles.
On Sunday afternoon, the City of Rockville called more than 4,000 residents through its automated ‘‘Reverse 911” emergency notification system, warning them of the bear sighting and asking them not to approach the animal if they encountered it.
Other bear sightings have been reported in the Rockville area during the past several years, including one in the parking lot of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in 2001. In July of that year, a 2-year-old bear was sighted in the Fallsmead area in west Rockville.
Black bear activity increases in the spring and summer when young bears that are old enough to be independent are often chased away by their mothers. Summer is also the time when older males may wonder long distances to find a mate.
‘‘The important thing to remember, despite Hollywood’s best effort to demonize these animals, they are not killing machines,” Peditto said. ‘‘People still represent predators to them.”
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