LYNNWOOD — A black bear sent a Lynnwood school into a lockdown Friday, after at least a dozen reported sightings in the past two days in southwest Snohomish County.
“I think it’s just one bear,” state Fish and Wildlife Sgt. Jennifer Maurstad said. “I’m hoping that it’s just one bear.”
The young-looking bear has apparently been going through a rebellious phase, breaking into garbage cans and bird feeders on a path from Mill Creek to Lynnwood. It remained at large Friday evening.
Photos and reports suggest the bear is collared — meaning it would have been tagged and released by a state biologist in the past. Setting a trap hasn’t been feasible so far, Maurstad said.
“He’s not targeting a specific location or house,” she said. “This little guy has definitely found himself on the wrong side of I-5.”
She noted that she wasn’t sure of the bear’s gender.
One of the more concerning sightings came from someone who lives near Oak Heights Elementary around 1:30 p.m. Friday. Parents were asked to pick up their kids if they usually walk home, and buses were running as usual. Children were told to stay indoors. So far, nothing has suggested the bear has been aggressive toward people, Maurstad said.
Earlier, residents were warned of a black bear wandering in a neighborhood, less than four miles east in Mill Creek. That bear was reported around 3 p.m. Thursday on 158th Place SE, milling around a row of homes surrounded by a golf course, east of the city’s nature reserve.
Since then, there had been at least four other sightings made to a non-emergency line in Mill Creek, city spokesman Gordon Brink said. There had been other reports closer to Lynnwood. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife will continue to track the bear’s movements, but there are no plans to take action unless it becomes a danger, or if it’s cornered up a tree.
If you see a black bear, stay calm. Do not run. Back away slowly. Bears are not usually a threat. If the bear becomes too curious or aggressive, you can wave your arms, yell and, as a last resort, fight back.
Sightings can be reported to 425-775-1311. You can learn about bear encounters at wdfw.wa.gov/living/bears.html. The state estimates 25,000 to 30,000 black bears live in Washington. Mill Creek is home to about 20,000 humans.
Maurstad asked people not to leave out their garbage, if they can help it, and to take down their bird feeders for now.
“Nobody needs to have bird feeders out,” she said. “The birds can feed themselves.”
Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.
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