This story, originally published on May 6, was updated May 8 with additional quotes on one bear sighting.
Montgomery County residents shared on the social media site Nextdoor that one or more black bears were seen in the Silver Spring area in the past 24 hours.
One user shared a 15-second video of a bear in the Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park near Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring around 5:50 a.m. Monday and another posted a photo taken Sunday around 9 p.m. near the intersection of Norbeck and Layhill roads in Aspen Hill.
Grady White of Silver Spring captured video of the bear on a home security camera.
“I expected to see my neighbor’s cat or maybe a deer in the video. So I was extremely shocked to see a bear instead,” White told MoCo360 via email. “I showed the video to my wife and then sent a link to the video to our neighbors so everyone could take the proper safety precautions.”
It was the first bear that White, who has lived in the area since April of last year, has seen.
Though black bears are more common in western Maryland counties, local sightings are to be expected this time of year, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources shared last month.
Last year, bears were seen in Kensington in April and again in Rockville in May and June.
“If you encounter a black bear in the parks, please do not approach it, and contact Montgomery Parks at 301-962-1344 or Montgomery County Animal Services at 240-773-5900,” wrote the Montgomery County Park Police via X.
