Uninvited guest
July 30, 2008
By J.B. Wogan
Bear appears in residents’ yard
Scott Owen headed into his kitchen at about 6:30 a.m. July 14, ready to start his day. That’s when he noticed a black bear hunched over the birdfeeder in his backyard.
After calling over his wife and two sons to show them the bear, he dialed 911.
The Owens’ home, located in the Castle Pines neighborhood, abuts Soaring Eagle Park, with a 6-foot wooden fence dividing their property from the park.
“I always thought that the fence would provide some sort of barrier, but that’s not true,” said Stephanie Owen, Scott’s wife.
The Owens waited for almost 30 minutes while the bear, having finished the bird feed, lumbered around the backyard. A cub had descended from a nearby tree on the park side of the fence and was digging underneath it in an effort to reach its mother, Stephanie said.
Scott sought to document this wildlife encounter, edging near his kitchen window and snapping a photo.
But the flash seemed to catch the bear’s attention, he said.
“That’s when my heart leapt up in my throat and I thought, ‘This is not a good idea, Scott,’” he said.
The bear stood up on its hind legs and pawed the kitchen window, leaving four distinct paw prints.
In a panic, Stephanie took her sons Spencer, 7, and Grant, 6, and ushered them into the family’s SUV in the garage.
Meanwhile Scott, still on the phone, following directions from an expert at Fish and Wildlife, opened a door to the yard and banged a pair of pans. The noise scared the bear back over the fence and off the Owens’ property.
King County residents have reported about 150 bear sightings to the Mill Creek regional office of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2008.
“I think this year, what we’ve seen, the warmer weather showed up later than usual, so regional office has been getting a lot of calls,” said Darren Friedel, a spokesperson for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“The thing is, with bears, they’ve lost 40 percent of their body weight and they have to get it back from April through October,” said Julie Hopkins, a member of the state’s Grizzly Bear Outreach Project. She is also a member of the Get Bear Smart Society, an organization that specializes in teaching humans how to safely co-exist with bears.
Hopkins said two factors could be responsible for increased bear sightings in suburban neighborhoods like Castle Pines this year.
One is that colder temperatures at lower elevations this spring have resulted in dense pockets of ice and snow that took longer to melt. As a result, a variety of berries, which often serve as a food source for local bears, are three-to-four weeks late to bloom.
In place of that natural food supply, bears are roaming for substitutes: birdfeed, dog and cat food, open compost bins and scraps left on the outdoor barbecue grill are prime targets for a hungry bear, Hopkins said.
The other factor could be that bears are relocating after significant habitat loss in cities like Sammamish, Issaquah and Snoqualmie, she explained.
Both Hopkins and experts at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recommend that residents remove all possible bear attractants, to avoid such encounters.
“Most bears are very afraid of people,” Hopkins said. “They won’t keep hanging out in the neighborhood if they can’t find food.”
But Stephanie Owen said she was dismayed by the advice she received from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on the day of her bear sighting. She said she heard too much about preventative measures that no longer applied to her situation.
When she inquired about whether or not someone could subdue and remove the animal, she said the person from Fish and Wildlife told her no.
A few days later, another official reached through the same number told Stephanie that the department can remove bears, but relocation is dangerous for the bear and therefore the option is a last resort.
“There’s a lot of kids here. It doesn’t seem so safe to have a mother (bear) with a baby around,” Stephanie said. “I really wanted them to come help us because we felt it was a pretty dangerous situation.”
The Owens said the bear has returned several times for shorter stints since July 14. Neighbors have told them that they, too, have seen the bear and her cub.
Friedel said that without specific knowledge of the case, he could only recommend that residents use experts’ input to determine the gravity of a bear encounter. If a person believes he or she might be at risk, he said to call 360-902-2936 or 911. State patrol and local police officers can be dispatched to deal with an aggressive bear in an emergency situation, he said.
For non-emergency situations and to report sightings, residents should call the Department of Fish and Wildlife at 425-775-1311.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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