Black bear spotted near Silverdale Elementary School
SILVERDALE, Wash. — Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers responded after a black bear was spotted near Silverdale Elementary School.
A spokesperson for the department said around 10 a.m. Wednesday it received a call that a school bus driver had spotted a bear near the school at Northwest Anderson Hill Road and Apex Airport Road.
An officer on the scene talked to school staff and patrolled surrounding streets in an attempt to locate the bear, but they did not find the bear.
Officials said bears are common in the area and the location where the bear was spotted is a wooded area. More than likely, they said, the bear was simply traveling through the location.
Officials said there is no immediate cause for concern for the public.
As we head into summer, it might be more likely that you will spot a bear in your community.
Jennifer Becar, a spokesperson with Fish and Wildlife, gave some food waste related tips to keep humans and bears safe, but also to limit how often they visit your property.
“Not feeding your pets outdoors, or at least not leaving that pet food out unattended,” Becar said. “Birdfeeders are also a common attractant for bears.”
“We advise and encourage folks to leave their garbage cans, for example, in a secure building until the morning of trash pickup. If your garbage can is out on the curb, that’s a buffet for a black bear to come check it out. Once that bear is habituated to humans and is used to finding that food source, it can become really challenging to get that bear to move on,” Becar said.
