SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A black bear has been visiting a neighborhood behind Kings Fork High School in Suffolk.

Neighbors say they aren’t surprised to see the bear because of their proximity to the Great Dismal Swamp, but they are concerned for its wellbeing because it appears to have a hurt paw.

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources officials said they have received calls about the limping bear, but they aren’t concerned for the bear’s health at this time. They say as long as the bear is still getting around OK, it’ll likely heal itself.

Other neighbors said they’re concerned to see the bear so close to home and what it might do to get food if it can’t go too far on an injured paw.

“It’s a tough situation,” said Homeowners Association President Al Koon. “We’re doing the best we can do with something we don’t know a great deal about.”

Koon said a lot of people walk in the morning or at night when it’s still dark out.

“You never know what will happen if you corner it or if it’s out in your trash when you come outside,” Koon said “It’s a strong bear.”

Victor Boone said he was almost asleep Tuesday night when he heard something on his back porch. He came out to find his trash cans scratched and scuffed on the side.

“I didn’t have a lot inside, so I didn’t have a lot to pick up,” Boone said.

Another neighbor, Nick Powell, said he woke up around 4 a.m. and saw the bear outside his window.

“My two boys sleep right here and my room is right here,” Powell said, “and the bear was just on the other side of my neighbors shed.”

Powell said it was very alarming.

“This is a very populated area,” Powell said. “I have two kids and a dog and it’s just very alarming to see a dog walking around your backyard at 4 a.m.”

Koon said they’ve had several reported bear sightings in their neighborhood behind Kings Fork High School. He said the bear appears to be limping in some of the videos, which is concerning.

“It’s probably easier to get food here than it would be in the swamp if you’ve got a hurt paw,” Koon said, “and that’s probably why it’s sticking around.”

He said they’ve reached out to wildlife officials, and they recommend people leave trash cans in their garage for a few days, take bird feeders inside, or find a way to secure your trash can so the bear can’t get inside, so that’s what he’s asking people in the neighborhood to do.

He said they’re putting up flyers and working to get the information out to people living in the neighborhood.

“We want to do just what’s best for the bear at this point and for the community,” said Koon.

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources First Sgt. Brandon Woodruff says black bear sightings in this area of Suffolk are common, and they normally only relocate bears from highways or interstates where there’s a safety concern.

“Just because there’s bears in the neighborhood doesn’t mean its unsafe or there’s a public safety issue,” Woodruff said.

He said their first recommendation is to remove trash for a few days to see if the bear leaves.

“Usually after a couple days generally speaking bear like to take the path of least resistance,” Woodruff said. “If the food is harder to get for them, they’ll move on to somewhere else.”

Woodruff said bears have a big home range, so even if they did relocate it to another area, it’s chances of coming back to the same area are fairly high.

He said female bears have a radius of about 50 miles and male bears could have a range of up to three times that.

Woodruff said it’s not uncommon for the bear to be limping and it could be a number of things.

“Whether they were struck by a car and survived or whether its some type of bite or infection,” Woodruff said. “There’s varying degrees of health. If the bear is able to run around and eat and hide, and it’s not immobile or appears to be suffering, it wouldn’t be something we would euthanize if its living outside on its own.”

There is a wildlife conflict help line you can call, if you are having a bear related problem. The number is (855) 571-9003.

For more information about living with black bears in Virginia, click here.