The Depart of Game and Inland Fisheries recently sent out a press release about bears in Virginia. Here’s part of it:

From the Tidewater region to the Alleghany Mountains, VDGIF personnel are already receiving numerous calls regarding bear sightings. With a healthy and growing black bear population, bear sightings during the spring and summer months are becoming the norm in Virginia. While the highest concentration of bears occurs in the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains and around the Great Dismal Swamp, bears are likely to be seen just about anywhere in Virginia. 

During the months of April and May bears have left their dens and are ending their winter fast.  Bears do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate while they are in dens. Additionally, while denning, female bears may give birth to cubs. Cubs are born weighing less than a pound and are reliant on their mother’s milk. As new spring growth emerges, so do bears, and they are following their stomachs in search of food. Bears are highly adaptable and intelligent animals and can learn to associate human dwellings with food.  In their search for food, bears are attracted to residential areas by the smell of food around homes. The most common food attractants are bird feeders, garbage, and pet food. Additionally outdoor grills, livestock food, compost, fruit trees, and beehives can also attract bears.

If you do see a bear in your area, enjoy watching it from a distance. If you experience a bear problem after taking appropriate steps of prevention, please notify the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries at 804-367-1258.

Here’s the video the DGIF made about bears in the state: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/bear/

Stephen Colbert probably has other ideas for dealing with bears in Virginia

Posted by Andy Thompson in • Outdoors
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