VIDEO: At Least 1 Bear Still Lingering In Howard County

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- At least one young black bear is still lingering in Howard County after a rash of sightings throughout central Maryland a few weeks ago.

There were at least 10 bear sightings in Prince George's, Montgomery and Howard counties on the week of June 12.

The above video, taken Friday night around 7:45 p.m. near Montgomery Road and Elibank Road in Elkridge, was sent to WJZ by Stefanie Riley Jett.

Candy Thomson, a spokeswoman for Natural Resources Police, says Maryland's Department of Natural Resources believes all the sightings have been the same bear.

They suggest taking down feeders and securing trash cans to prevent bears from getting easy meals, which will encourage them to move on from the neighborhood.

Sightings in the state's more suburban areas tend to peak during June and July but can occur as late as September.

Maryland is home to a healthy black bear population in several western counties, such as Allegany and Frederick. In recent years, dispersing bears have been sighted in all counties west of the Chesapeake Bay.

According to Thomson, when a mother bear is ready to breed again, she encourages older cubs -- typically in their second year of life -- to go out on their own. At that point, they go off in search for their own territory.

This is when sightings in central Maryland become more common.

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