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\n Elden, a black bear that’s twice been captured and relocated away from the suburbs, has been honored by the town of Herndon, Virginia, with his very own day. (Courtesy Herndon Police Department)<\/p>\n
Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources shares black bear safety tips as the creatures emerge for spring.<\/p>\n
\n Elden, a black bear that’s twice been captured and relocated away from the suburbs, has been honored by the town of Herndon, Virginia, with his very own day. (Courtesy Herndon Police Department)<\/p>\n
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\n Elden, a black bear that’s twice been captured and relocated away from the suburbs, has been honored by the town of Herndon, Virginia, with his very own day. (Courtesy Herndon Police Department)<\/p>\n
They have been taking a long winter nap, and Maryland\u2019s black bears are waking up hungry.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why Maryland\u2019s Department of Natural Resources is urging people to keep bears in mind<\/a> as residents spend more time outdoors as the weather gets warmer.<\/p>\n First and foremost, said Jonathan Trudeau, the game mammal section leader for Maryland\u2019s DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service, people should remember that black bears are powerful wild animals capable of moving fast, up to 35 miles per hour when motivated.<\/p>\n \u201cSo no matter how cute and cuddly they might appear, it\u2019s important to ensure that if you see one, you give it plenty of space,\u201d Trudeau said.<\/p>\n It has become increasingly common to see black bears heading into suburban areas as they emerge from their winter rest, a period biologists call torpor, Trudeau said. \u201cOur black bear population is growing. It\u2019s expanding, and our neighboring states are seeing similar expansion and growth in their black bear populations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The bears have also learned to navigate what Trudeau called \u201cgreen corridors\u201d of parkland in suburban areas that provide cover and access to water. Increasingly, he said, the bears appear to be on the move at night. \u201cIt seems like some of these bears are starting to learn how to move through some of these more suburban, urbanized landscapes,\u201d Trudeau said.<\/p>\n That means it\u2019s more likely for humans to have contact with the big, hungry bears this time of year.<\/p>\n To avoid attracting bears to your yard, Trudeau said one of the first steps is to remove bird feeders. \u201cYour birds don\u2019t need it right now. They don\u2019t need that bird seed, but a bear can get a lot of calories from that really quickly, and they remember where they got that food, so they\u2019ll continuously come back,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n Another thing homeowners should do is keep their grills clean. Lingering food odors from past cookouts can draw bears into backyards, Trudeau said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at a bear, you look at how big their head is, they have itty-bitty, little teeny eyes,\u201d Trudeau said. But like dogs, they have an exceptionally keen sense of smell.<\/p>\n If you spot bears when outdoors, appreciate the sighting \u2014 again, from a distance, Trudeau said. Most people don\u2019t get to see them in the wild. \u201cOnly something like 10 or 12% of our residents have ever seen a bear. So enjoy that encounter. But again, respect that bear\u2019s distance\u201d he said.<\/p>\n If you find yourself closer than you would like, say on a trail, and you suddenly discover a bear, make your presence known, but remain calm, Trudeau said. \u201cIf it\u2019s walking toward you, you just walk backward as slowly as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n Because black bears tend to be more skittish than brown bears found out West, Trudeau said that making noise could scare them off. \u201cIf you have a whistle, blow your whistle,\u201d loud noises, tend to deter them, he said.<\/p>\n Marylanders may recall a young black bear that drew attention across the D.C region last year. First captured in a Prince George\u2019s County backyard on Memorial Day, the young male was relocated to a more suitable space in Western Maryland.<\/p>\n But that bear apparently didn\u2019t enjoy the move and eventually made his way to Herndon, Virginia. Residents there nicknamed him Elden<\/a>, after the street where he lingered. The bear was later tranquilized again and moved to an undisclosed location in Virginia.<\/p>\n One last reminder, Trudeau said, involves patio furniture cushions or hot tub covers. Bears may tear into them not out of vandalism but because those items emit scents similar to ant colonies, a natural source of food for the creatures. \u201cSo bears trying to tear into that stuff,\u201d he said, believe they are \u201cgoing to get a nice meal of ants.\u201d<\/p>\n