An injured black bear was rummaging near Mill Creek on Wednesday and ended up in a large green belt after leading state Fish and Wildlife crews and fire officials through residential streets.
A woman living off 134th Place SE and 61st Avenue SE was in shock as she captured footage of the bear in her driveway around 11 a.m. KOMO News spoke with her hours later, and cameras were rolling as the bear returned to the bird feeder in her front yard.
The bear then walked past cars on a busy residential street and disappeared through yards, officials and neighbors said.
“It hopped over our fence, and then I just told my mother to get inside and looked at it through the window,” neighbor Mohammed Alpekreeti stated. “And then it hopped over my neighbor’s fence.”
KOMO News alerted Fish and Wildlife and South County Fire, who quickly warned neighbors.
“The bear is in the area. Maybe it's best if you go inside,” a wildlife officer told a woman.
One anonymous neighbor said she’s seen a black bear rummaging through trash cans over the past few years.
“Just when the bear has been spotted, we start putting the garbage out the day of garbage pickup instead of the night before,” she explained. “He’s not Yogi the Friendly Bear, but he’s not been aggressive.”
There are about 20,000 black bears across Washington. Fish and Wildlife officials said it's common to see them in green belts, forests, and even backyards in places like Snohomish County and Eastern King County.
“We’ve invaded their territory, so they’re just out looking for something to eat,” said Mike Martin of Mill Creek.
But people were curious about this bear.
“Because it was up and moving in the middle of the day because it had likely been hit by a car and had an injury, it did create a bit more attention,” said Chase Gunnell with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFD).
The bear eventually moved to a wooded area to the relief of neighbors.
“The bear, after it crossed a busy roadway, went into a large greenbelt and seems to be napping down there. We don’t want to disturb it. We want it to stay in that greenbelt. It’s a safe place for it to be,” Gunnell added.
Fish and Wildlife have a bear trap staged at a nearby fire station, though the agency doesn’t anticipate needing it for now. It would be used if the bear would not recover from its wounds or if it became too comfortable around people.
The WDFD has posted tips about avoiding conflicts with black bears here.