Vehicle Strikes, Kills Bear On Interstate 66 Near Manassas

MANASSAS, VA — Black bear sightings are becoming more common in Northern Virginia in residential areas and parks. As with the many vehicle-vs.-deer accidents in the region each year, it was only a matter of time before one of the region's bears would get hit trying to cross a major highway.

Early Tuesday morning, a Virginia Department of Transportation crew found a dead bear on Interstate 66. The crew removed the bear from an eastbound lane near the Manassas rest stop.

Virginia State Police received a call about the dead animal on I-66 at 2:36 a.m., a police spokeswoman said. A VDOT Safety Services Patrol was sent to the scene and confirmed the animal was a bear. The bear appeared to have been struck by a car, but no vehicle was at the scene.

"The driver could've not stopped for various reasons, but depending upon the size of the vehicle, the driver may not have been aware," a VDOT spokeswoman said. "Drivers striking animals is, unfortunately, not an uncommon occurrence."

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) says black bears can now be found in 92 of the state's 98 counties and cities. And bear road kills in the state are increasing as the animals cross highways looking for food.

"Animal strikes, especially deer this time of year, are very common on all highways in Virginia," the state police spokeswoman told the Washington Post. "There are too many drivers who won’t stop when they hit other people on the road, let alone an animal."

In May, a young bear cub was seen on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, and a bear was spotted roaming near a major road in Herndon that same month. Black bears and their cubs emerge from hibernation in search of food between March and May. In most cases, they avoid people and would rather flee than confront humans.

In September, a Haymarket resident said a bear knocked over the trash cans outside his house, rummaged through the can's contents and dragged off a garbage bag. According to the DGIF, bears occupy areas outside Fairfax County, including the bordering Loudoun and Prince William counties. But there also have been occasional or confirmed sightings in Fairfax County.

The DGIF has some advice should you come across a black bear:

• Stay calm. If you see a bear and it has not seen you, calmly leave the area. As you move away, make noise to let the bear discover your presence.
• Stop. Back away slowly while facing the bear.
• Give the bear plenty of room to escape. Bears rarely attack people unless they feel cornered or provoked.
• Do not run or make any sudden movements. Running could prompt the bear to give chase, and you cannot outrun a bear. If on a trail, step off the trail and slowly leave the area.
• If a bear is in your yard and it approaches you, make yourself look big and make loud noises. Remain at a safe distance and throw rocks to make the bear feel unwelcome.
• If a bear is in your house, prop open all doors to the outside and get out of the way of the exit. Never close a bear into a room. Make noises and yell at bear to leave the house. Don’t approach the bear but make sure it knows it is violating your territory.
• If you surprise a bear, speak softly. This may reassure the bear that you mean it no harm.
• Fight back. If a black bear attacks you, fight back. Black bears have been driven away when people have fought back with rocks, sticks, binoculars and even their bare hands.