The bear is back, one post says on Nextdoor. While another by Neighbor "Wildlife Observer", says "I hope this is the same bear that looked so unhealthy earlier this summer…" So I reached out to Neighbor wildlife observer regarding this bear, and she was gracious in providing pictures of the bear and her bear story. But let's give him some respect by naming him....Hmmm how about Scuffy, LoL. "This is the first picture that my game camera caught in late July. At that time, I assumed that it was one of the orphaned cubs from the previous summer. He was pretty scruffy looking, so Neighbor wildlife observer called Fish and Wildlife who brought and setup a bear trap, see 2nd picture, but Scruffy must have caught on to the smells and got suspicious and didn't get caught by neither the trap nor the game cam."
Then "Two weeks ago, a bear (Scuffy?) crossed the road about twenty yards in front of me on Lindquist Rd. The two pictures I recently posted showed up on my game camera earlier this week (3rd and 4th pics). I'm not sure if it’s the same bear, but based on the mangy looking fur, I think (really hope) that it might be the same one."
"He wandered into our back yard on October 29. It was a warm sunny fall day when it plopped down in our new clover lawn for a snack.
Then it got up and scratched... and scratched and scratched. It rolled around as if scratching its back. It had just taken a nibble of clover when I accidentally bumped the glass separating us, and it bolted. Not too far, though - had to scratch some more. I did get a good shot of it leaving and the backside looks fairly well afflicted with mange.
After skirting our garden, where poles and netting are meant to keep deer out, (so glad it didn't scale any poles as I'm certain it would have destroyed the nets), it wandered around the house and discovered a large patch of juicy clover, which it ate heartily, with only minimal scratching."
"What was curious, is we that still had luscious ripe fall raspberries on the vine, which I'd been saving for our grandkids to pick, and this very hungry bear didn't seem to notice. During this whole time our pup slept, blissfully unaware of our visitors' presence. Since early spring she had been alerting to this bear (others) and one day in June we watched her gaze while she exhibited a particular bark. At first her gaze was ground level, and then up to the sky, like she was watching a bird. It was then that I saw this young bear high in a fir tree. Once our pup was secured inside it gracefully descended the tree and ambled off. Its coat then seemed full and sleek. Maybe these are different bears? Seems like we have no way of knowing."
One gentleman on nextdoor mentioned at the end of October how he saw a bear in his yard eating clover and sunning himself. I've reached out to him, so hopefully I'll hear back.
We even had an attack in August 2022 when a jogger mistakenly walked between the momma bear and the cub, and was soon attacked by the angry mom. The poor jogger was injured in his foot and hand before he escaped. The momma bear was found and killed that same evening by the WDFW rangers.
You can read more about it here:
Pictures & Story Courtesy Neighbor "Wildlife Observer"
https://www.cascadiadaily.com/news/2022/aug/04/bear-attack-north-of-lake-whatcom-injures-jogger/
By Chief Editor Angelo-Lk-Whatcom-Rider-Writer
About The writer: I've lived in Bellingham since February, 2011, and love the beautiful trees & greenery producing all that oxygen, and of course, the lake, bay, hills and mountains too. I've also been in the lovely Anacortes area for part of that time, going back and forth, since moving here.
Educational/Professional Background: Economics & Political Science Degrees at UCF. Attended Graduate School of Economics at FSU, and have worked for the FL Labor Dept as well as consulted for the FL Labor Dept on behalf of the US Labor Dept. I've been happily working in my own businesses since 1993.