DNR receiving rise in reports of black bear sightings in Maryland residential neighborhoods

BALTIMORE – Residents in Howard County, Catonsville and Windsor Mill reported seeing a black bear roaming in their neighborhoods.

A Howard County resident shared a cellphone video of a black bear in Laurel crossing lanes of traffic.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources says these bear sightings are on the rise.

Charles Mauzy told WJZ he saw a black bear walking through Laurel Monday morning.

“Basically, it was running down the road right there on Snowden River Parkway,” Mauzy said.

Mauzy captured brief footage from his car. Black bears were spotted on Friday in Catonsville and Windor Mill.

“I look up and I see a bear running across the road and I’m like, ‘man you don’t see that every day,’” Mauzy said.

While Mauzy said wasn’t a threatening situation, it did give him pause.

After all, he looked out his car window to see a bear in broad daylight

“It looked like he had been running for a long time, so he had probably been getting yelled at all morning,” Mauzy said.

Maryland DNR officials say while bear sightings in residential areas are unusual they are not unprecedented, so take precautions.

“Generally black bears are docile,” said Brian Eyler, Associated Director of Maryland DNR. “They are not aggressive. We’re not talking about a grizzly bear just slowly move away. Just be calm and be steady. The bear doesn’t want anymore to do with us than we want to do with the bear.”

DNR officials say you can expect to see more bears because they breed in June and July and the young juvenile bears are in search of their new home range, and that is one reason we are seeing them move into urban areas.