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Outdoors: Wildlife
Bear roams Tumwater Leave it alone, and an attack is unlikely N.S. NOKKENTVED AND TONY OVERMAN, THE OLYMPIAN Originally published August 4, 2001
TUMWATER -- Bear season may be open, but Interstate 5 south of Tumwater is not the best place for a bear hunt.
A 150- to 200-pound adult black bear has been raising a fuss here for about a week. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers have set out traps, but as of Friday evening the bruin had eluded capture.
Multiple sightings were called in Friday morning and two officers were dispatched, Wildlife spokesman Craig Bartlett said.
The bear was seen foraging near the freeway at 93rd Avenue. There is plenty of roadkill along the freeway and plenty of berries in the brush.
The bear had been eating a watermelon that someone may have thrown from a passing vehicle.
"The critter's here because he's making a living here," said wildlife officer Greg Haw, who was trying to trap the bear. But the public reaction to the bear probably created a far greater hazard than the bear itself, he said. At one point, six cars were stopped on the freeway with people watching the bear. "It hasn't done anything wrong yet," Bartlett said. He advised area residents to keep their garbage and pet food enclosed or in the garage. "The biggest problem is attracting the bear to your house," he said. And this is probably also a good time to keep the dogs tied up. Bears are common in this area. There is a lot for them to eat, and they are not hunted in the urban areas, Bartlett said. They are unlikely to attack residents -- if they leave the bears alone. Officials believed it was unsafe to tranquilize the bear because of the traffic -- they didn't want a groggy bear stumbling out onto the freeway. Instead, they were trying to trap it alive to relocate it. Haw said he was authorized to shoot and kill the bear if it should become necessary for public safety. Bear season opened Wednesday -- but in the woods, not in urban areas. The Olympian Copyright 2001 back to main Outdoors: Wildlife index
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