Community Corner
Have You Seen A Black Bear Roaming Gaithersburg?
Police: Montgomery County Department of Natural Resources officials began receiving reports of bear sightings in Gaithersburg on Saturday.
Have you seen a black bear roaming the Gaithersburg area? Gaithersburg police say a number of people have.
It's unclear if it's one or two bears, but Montgomery County Department of Natural Resources officials began receiving reports of the sightings on Saturday, Gaithersburg police officer Dan Lane told Patch. DNR confirmed the bear(s) as a black bear, Lane said.
"[The sightings] are spread out through various communities surrounding Quince Orchard Road and Darnestown Road," Lane said. "They've been seen in Kentlands, Quince Orchard and across the street on the Rockville side."
There have been bear sightings as far as the Germantown area, Lane said.
If residents see a bear in their community, Lane said they should call local police who will respond to the scene and invite DNR officials to come out as well.
"It's not uncommon to see the bears out at this time frame," Lane said. "They are 2-year-old bears, and when they reach this age that's when they branch off from the den. It's not uncommon to find them this far away from their natural habitat."
SPEAK OUT: Have you seen the bear(s) roaming around Gaithersburg? Tell us in the comments!
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