SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Goldilocks wasn’t spotted in a Suffolk neighborhood, but three bears were.
Steven Barnes says it’s not the first time he’s had the wild animals pay a visit to his home in the Belleville neighborhood. It’s the first time he captured them on camera, though. He said he installed the cameras right before they showed up Wednesday night.
Barnes shared those images with WAVY TV. You can see three bears in one of the pictures. In another, one of them is climbing up a tree. He also has video that shows that.
The last time he spotted the bears was during the day, he told WAVY.
He says he’s been advised to “stay at a distance, reduce food sources and use a chemical like ammonia in and around trash containers.”
According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the smell of food is what typically draws bears to residential areas, specifically, birdfeeders, garbage and pet food.
It is actually illegal to allow a bear to feed on trash or birdseed. To avoid a visit from bears in your neighborhood, DWR says you should refrain from putting out food for birds from April through November. Instead, plant native seed-bearing plants or use water fountains. As for garbage, wait until the morning of pickup, not the night before, to drag it to the curb.
DWR has a lot of information on its website about living with black bears in Virginia, including simple guidelines, videos and more.