GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A black bear visited a home along Willow Oaks Road in Goochland County Wednesday evening and got up close and personal with the home’s doorbell camera.
At about 11 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, the bear was captured on video as it moseyed up to the home’s front door, after which it’s seen standing on its hind legs and curiously peering into the camera.
After a period of investigation, or perhaps contemplation, the bear then turns away and politely walks along the sidewalk, leaving the property.
According to the homeowner, what appears to have been the same bear returned to the home Thursday evening, and was seen sitting in the yard.
According to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, bears are adaptable, intelligent animals that may learn to associate human homes with food.
Bears can be attracted to residential areas by the smell of foods people commonly put out around their homes, including bird feeders, garbage, pet food, grills, compost, fruit trees and beehives.
To “keep bears wild,” and ensure that bears return to their natural wild foods, the department recommends that Virginia residents take the following actions:
- Remove bird feeders. It is best not to put out food for birds from April to November. Instead, plant native seed-bearing plants or use water features to attract birds to your home.
- Secure your garbage. Store garbage indoors, in a shed, garage or other bear-resistant container. Put garbage out on the morning of pickup, not the night before, or take it to the dump frequently.
- Pick up pet food. Feed pets only what they will eat in a single feeding or feed them indoors. Remove all uneaten food. Do not leave food out overnight.
- Do not put meat scraps in the compost pile. Keep compost away from your house.
- Pick up and remove ripe fruit from fruit trees and surrounding grounds.
- Clean your grill often. Do not dump drippings in your yard. Run the grill an extra 5 minutes to burn off grease.
- Install electric fencing to protect beehives, dumpsters, gardens, compost piles or other potential food sources.
- Don’t store food, freezers, refrigerators or trash on porches.
- If you see a bear, you can use harassment techniques in conjunction with removing the attractant to get the bear to move off your property. Paintballs are nonlethal and won’t harm the bear if shot at the rump, but are painful enough to get the bear moving away from homes.
- Make sure your neighbors and community administrators are aware of the ways to prevent bears from causing problems.
For more information on black bears in Virginia, visit the department’s website.
