EVERETT, Wash. - Wildlife officers were outMonday nightin Everett searching for a black bear spotted close to some homes.
Neighbors reported seeing the bear near Scenic Drive and Grant Drive in Everett's Beverly Park neighborhood. In the middleof an Everett greenbelt, they saw it peaking out of the brush.
We heard some bushes being tromped on, you could tell it was fairly big, you could see a little black head pop up, it was kind of spying on us, looking at us, said Jeff Miller, who took a few pictures of the bear.
The bear stayed for a few minutes. Neighbors guess he was hungry.
It's garbage night in Beverly Park, so that's a concern. Everybody has to put their garbage out, said neighborDonna Honey.
Colton Bailey and Markus Mikesell were riding down a trail when they saw what was likely the same bear crouching next to the path.
He was by the flowers over there, the white ones, and then he came running after we clapped and made noises and stuff, said 16-year-old Bailey.
When it was on its four legs, it was that big and like from here to there. It was a medium-size bear, said 15-year-old Mikesell.
Everett's Beverly Park neighborhood is close to Interstate 5. Shortly before 11 p.m., the Washington State Patrol reported a juvenile bear had been struck and killed on southbound I-5 near the Everett Mall exit. Troopers, however, could not say if it was the same bear that was being reported. There were no human injuries.
This time last year, another bear was spotted near the interstate's median up in Stanwood, and hung out there for days.
Anotherbear kept showing up in Maple Valley last week, so wildlife officials captured it over the weekend, releasing it back into the wild Sunday.
This time of year we have bears waking up hungry looking for food.There's not a lot of natural food source out there,so they come in where humans are around and eat things they're not suppose to eat, saidwildlife officer Wendy Willette.
Wildlife agents advise neighbors to secure their trash, bring in dog food bowls and bird feeders. If you see the bear, call 911.
