Communities in the Cascade foothills should be wary of black bears waking up from their winter slumber. In fact, there have been numerous reports of close encounters throughout the region, some of which have been caught on camera.
One of the most recent, run-ins happened in Issaquah. Homeowner, Chenguang Zhu shared Ring camera footage captured over the weekend. In the recording, a black bear got right up against the camera lens. According to Zhu, this marks his fifth or sixth bear sighting since moving to his current home roughly one year ago.
“The bear was literally standing in front of the camera,” said Zhu.
Officials at the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife tell KIRO 7′s Lauren Donovan all of Washington is bear country, but folks living in east Snohomish and King counties should be particularly prepared. They say, Issaquah and North Bend have long been hotspots for bear activity and will continue to be.
That information did not surprise Fall City homeowner, Michelle Jones. Her trail cameras, frequently pick up bear activity on her property.
“Issaquah has a lot of bear activity, believe it or not,” said Jones. “A lot of people don’t imagine that there’s bear activity right near I-90.”
Jones believes trash companies should provide bear-proof cans in bear-prone areas. She argues that if nothing changes, new neighborhoods popping up in the foothills with unsecured cans will become bear buffets.
“It should not have to happen,” said Jones. “We should not be having all of this conflict.”
According to WDFW, when bears lose fear of humans and start relying on trash for food it becomes a major safety concern. Last year, wildlife officers euthanized a mother bear and her cubs known to roam North Bend backyards because they were reportedly “too habitualized” to humans.
For more advice on how to bear-proof your home check out this blog post from WDFW.
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