ARLINGTON — A bear spotted near Pioneer Elementary School on Tuesday afternoon forced officials to place the school in partial lockdown.
The bear was first seen about 3:30 p.m. near Highway 9 and Eaglefield Drive, next to the elementary school, Arlington spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said. Police worked with school officials to ask parents to pick up the kids who were still at the school.
“We just wanted to make sure nobody was walking home,” Banfield said.
People who saw the animal described it as a smaller black bear.
The bear then crossed the highway and ended up near the Arlington High School. The bear took off just when officers thought they had the animal cornered in a back yard in the 7800 block of Crown Ridge Boulevard, Banfield said.
The bear headed toward a large ravine and a creek behind the high school.
“That’s probably close to where the bear’s natural habitat is,” Banfield said. “We are at the foothills of the Cascades, and we are a lot closer to wildlife and nature than most people remember.”
She encouraged people to secure their garbage cans and keep pet food inside. Any bear sightings should be reported to 911.
“Right now it wouldn’t surprise me if it was down in that creek fishing. That’s where it belongs,” Banfield said.
In April, Fish and Wildlife officers captured a young, black bear who was spotted frequently in the wooded I-5 median in Stanwood.
Officials captured the bear in a trap baited with doughnuts and maple syrup and dropped it off near Mount Baker.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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