Video shows black bear traipsing through the backyard of South Hill home Monday
A bear was seen walking through the backyard of a South Hill home Monday morning.
The bear leaped over multiple fences, roaming around the Emerald Pointe Villa neighborhood and was caught on camera by Matthew Piccolo.
While the bear caused no damage, it gave Piccolo’s wife quite the scare.
“She heard it because he climbed over our fence with neighbors,” Piccolo said. “She got up to see what the noise was and saw it as it was climbing over the back fence.”
Piccolo thinks the bear is a large juvenile.
“It was definitely smaller than a full grown adult,” Piccolo said. “Our dogs weigh about 100 pounds. I would say he was a little bigger than that.”
After seeing bear just after 7 a.m., Piccolo and his wife contacted their neighbors and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Fish and Wildlife officials are following three recent reports of a bear south of Puyallup. They will be monitoring reports to confirm whether action is necessary. For now, Fish and Wildlife advises homeowners to secure any backyard attractants that could keep the bear in the area.
“He kept moving through the neighborhood,” Piccolo said of the bear.
He has seen plenty of wildlife in his neighborhood, including deer and coyotes, but it was the first time he’d seen a bear.
Bear safety tips
As previously reported by The News Tribune, WDFW has resources and tips for bear encounters on its website and YouTube channel.
“Bears tend to avoid humans,” the WDFW website said. “However, human-habituated bears are bears that, because of prolonged exposure to people, have lost their natural fear or wariness around people.”
WDFW suggests these safety tips on its website:
- Stop, remain calm and assess the situation. If the bear seems unaware of you, move away quietly when it’s not looking in your direction. Continue to observe the animal as you retreat, watching for changes in its behavior.
- If a bear walks toward you, identify yourself as a human by standing up, waving your hands above your head and talking to the bear in a low voice.
- Don’t throw anything at the bear. The animal could interpret that as a threat or a challenge.
- If you cannot safely move away or the bear continues toward you, try to scare it away by clapping your hands, stomping your feet, yelling and staring the animal in the eyes. If you are in a group, stand shoulder-to shoulder and raise and wave your arms to appear intimidating. The more it persists, the more aggressive your response should be. If you have bear spray, use it.
- Do not run from the bear. Bears can run up to 35 mph and running may trigger an attack. Climbing a tree is generally not recommended as an escape from an aggressive black bear, as black bears are adept climbers and may follow you up a tree.
Any urgent reports of bears or other potentially dangerous wildlife that present public safety concerns can be submitted to WDFW by calling 360-902-2936, emailing WILDCOMM@dfw.wa.gov, submitting an online report, or by calling 911.
This story was originally published July 3, 2023 at 2:36 PM.
