Germantown resident Patty Pastera spotted a black bear in her back yard on Friday night, July 7th shortly after 10pm. “Black Bear on our property last night 7/7/23 at 10:19PM (Black Stallion Way, Germantown MD, along side Route 118. The bear stayed in our yard for 25 mins, knocked down our bird feeder and ate most of the seeds in it, tried to climb the oak tree but way too high for him. Any idea who to call? Maybe they can bring him back to the wild? It’s so unsafe for this bear to be in a dark, busy highway like 118. 😅☺️”
In May and June there were multiple bear sightings in Chevy Chase, Kensington, Rockville, and Burtonsville, with one bear that was trapped and relocated by the Rockville City Police Department and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on May 8th.
In Maryland, Black bears are located primarily in Garrett, Allegany, Washington, and Fredrick counties, but will occasionally venture further south into Montgomery County and other areas. Populations are highest in Garrett and Allegany counties, with bear numbers rising in the remaining areas. In the spring, black bears are often sighted in other areas of the state. Per Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources: Black bears are stocky animals with short, thick legs and glossy black or brownish coats. Occasionally, black bears can also be cinnamon or blond in color and can contain patches of white. Black bears are the smallest North American bears, ranging from 5-6 feet long from muzzle to tail. A black bear’s tail is short- averaging 3-5 inches in length. Males and females are generally similar in appearance, but males often are a little larger. In general, sows (females) weigh from 110-250 pounds while boars (males) can weigh from 150 to 450 pounds.
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