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Bear sightings reported in Gig Harbor

Gig Harbor Police received a report of a black bear sighting near Grandview Forest Park on Monday, the department said on social media.

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It’s one of at least two black bear sightings in the area recently.

A black bear visited Hank and Beth Pedersen’s home in the Gustafson Drive-Murphy Drive neighborhood multiple times since last August, when a motion-activated wildlife cam on their property snapped a picture of it.

The bear returned twice last week during daylight, around 6:30 to 7 a.m., both times tearing down a bird feeder hanging next to the house and carrying it into the woods. They have since repositioned the bird feeder so it hangs over their deck and (hopefully) out of reach of the bear.

According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, about 20,000 black bears live in the state. WDFW handles about 500 complaints about the animals every year.

Bears typically enter heavily populated areas looking for food. Wildlife experts recommend securing trash cans, bringing pet food inside and emptying bird feeders if bears have been seen in your area.

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Black Bears are more common in our area than you may think. They generally mind their own business.

Monday morning, we had 1 report of a bear near Grandview Forest Park. We have not had any additional sightings since. The bear has likely moved to another area. pic.twitter.com/2ZWjTHd2pO

— Gig Harbor Police (@GigHarborPolice) June 14, 2023

A wildlife camera captured this image of a black bear at a residence off Gustafson Drive in August 2022.