If you are a Whiskey Riff fan and happen to live in Arlington, Virginia, keep an eye out for a young bear that has been seen roaming around suburban neighborhoods.
Officials in the area have taken a myriad of calls reporting black bear sightings, which have taken place mainly in the Windy Run Park area of Arlington county.
Officials have been hoping that the bear will ultimately find its way back to the wild and have asked residents in the area to not approach the bear or seek it out so that it isn’t encouraged in any way to stay in the suburbs.
The Animal Welfare League of Arlington has been active on their Facebook profile with updates, sending out pictures and information as needed.
The first post they sent out to Arlington country residents stated:
“The Animal Welfare League of Arlington has received several reported sightings of a juvenile black bear in the Windy Run Park area of Arlington County.
AWLA’s current plan is to allow the bear to make his way out of the county. We are asking residents to be aware of their surroundings and stay away from the bear if sighted. DO NOT seek him out or attempt to approach.
We highly recommend that residents keep their pets inside, take down bird feeders and make sure that trash is secured or brought indoors.”
This time of the year is when the young black bears are expected to be roaming around, but ideally, not in the suburbs of Arlington, Virginia possibly endangering homeowners.
The juvenile bear is pretty adorable based on pictures that have been sent in by residents in the area. However, as the update that was sent out by the Animal Welfare League of Arlington today says, it is vital to the bear’s and the community’s safety to not approach it or attempt to interact in any way.
AWLA’s most recent post reads:
“Bear Update. Our bear friend has been making his way through Arlington over the past few days with dozens of reported sightings called into our Animal Control team. He continues to look healthy and is staying away from people and other animals.
However, we need to strongly remind our community to NOT GO OUT LOOKING FOR THE BEAR. This kind of behavior can put yourself and the bear in potentially dangerous situations.
If you spot him in your neighborhood or on your property, please stay inside. We also recommend keeping pets inside unless supervised, taking down your bird feeders and securing trash or bringing it indoors.
We know our community loves local wildlife, so let’s all work together to keep this bear and our community safe!”
As always, just a simple reminder that the best way to handle wildlife is to leave them be.
Hopefully the Virginians living in the Arlington area head the AWLA’s warning and let the bear return to its habitat in peace.
