Rockville Area Neighborhood Gets Visit From Black Bear

A small black bear wandered into back yards and onto a homeowner's wooden deck in the Rockville area Wednesday night before eluding animal control officers and slipping away, witnesses and authorities said.

Kathleen Duarte was watching a cooking show with her sister and a neighbor in the Regency Estates area when the neighbor peered out of a sliding glass door and spotted the bear about 6 p.m.

"I was like, 'Oh my god, it's a bear!' " said Duarte, who was at her mother's home on Enid Drive, about a mile from Cabin John Regional Park. "I don't know anything about bears except for watching Animal Planet."

Duarte said she couldn't estimate the weight of the animal but described it as about five feet long. Soon after being discovered, the bear climbed back over the deck railing and ambled, "hunched over and wobbly," across the back yard, she said. The family then called 911, fearing for the safety of next-door neighbors, who have small children and pets.

About 45 minutes earlier, a bear was spotted on Coldstream Drive, about a mile away. The final sighting occurred on Gainsborough Road.

Officials said black bear attacks on humans are rare. But they said that if people encounter one, they should avoid crowding the animal and call 911.

Sightings have occurred periodically in the county in recent years, said police spokeswoman Melanie Hadley, as animals striking out on their own have traveled up to 150 miles in search of new territory.

"Stay away from it. Don't feed it," she said. "Basically, they are just looking for their own spot and looking for food. They are not looking to eat a person."

Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service officials said black bears usually look for berries, nuts and vegetation but will also eat garbage, crops and bird food. Officials advise residents to keep barbecue grills clean, bring bird feeders inside at night and not to leave other pet food outside.

The Regency Estates area, with nearby streams and wooded spots, is teeming with deer, foxes and other animals, neighbors said. But no one could remember seeing a bear in recent years.

"We have other wildlife in the community," said Fran Levin, a neighbor of the Duartes'. "Who knows. I wouldn't be surprised to see a giraffe coming down the street next. Anything can happen."