Did you hear about the bear in Tumwater on Tuesday? Here’s what happened

A black bear spotted Tuesday in the Tumwater area has safely returned to a less popular area.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife received a report Tuesday of a bear running across a runway near Olympia Regional Airport before heading into a wooded area, WDFW Police communications manager Becky Elder told The Olympian.

Later that day, WDFW received another report of a bear sighting near the Tumwater Police Department, about a half-mile away.

The complaint came from the police.

Tumwater Police Lt. Jennifer Kolb told The Olympian that the bear ran past an officer and climbed a tree right in front of the department,

“The value has gone up a lot,” Elder said.

WDFW staff and officers responded to the report and determined the bear was not habituated to the Tumwater area, Elder said, and was therefore not a public safety concern. WDFW decided to allow the bear to climb down the tree on its own.

On Tuesday night, it happened. Elder said WDFW pushed the bear toward a greenbelt, where wildlife officials believe it returned to a forested area away from humans.

WDFW took no further action and has not received reports of the bear since.

“In the long term, it appears that the bear simply made a wrong turn and ended up in an area where it should not have continued,” Elder said. “And then we more or less help it move in the right direction.”

Bears like this tend to move up into greenbelts, looking for natural resources, Elder said. Along the way, they may end up in a more developed area and be “reverted”.

By remaining in neighborhoods and relying on human food sources such as trash or pet food, bears become habituated to these developed areas.

“Once they learn that people are equal to food, it’s very difficult to change that mindset,” Elder said. “In this case, this bear was not scavenging and therefore was not considered habituated in any way.”

WDFW recommends following these tips to avoid attracting bears:

• Never intentionally feed bears or other backyard wildlife.

• Always keep trash cans in a garage or sturdy building until collection day.

• Remove seed, suet and hummingbird feeders until late fall.

• Clean up fallen fruit or other potential attractants around your home.

• Remove pet food from areas accessible to wildlife and feed it indoors.

• Clean grills thoroughly after each use and store them in a safe place.

• Cage and electric fence your domestic poultry and livestock pens.

• Avoid storing food in the car.

• If you see a bear on your property, clap your hands loudly and publicize its presence.

To report other non-emergency incidents of predatory wildlife like this to WDFW, call 877-933-9847, text “tip” to 847411 or submit a report online.