Black bear found dead in plastic bag in Arlington – NBC4 Washington

An adult black bear was found dead in a plastic bag in Arlington, Virginia, Friday night, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington said.

Animal control was dispatched to Spout Run Parkway near N. Adams Street around 8:30 p.m. They were called for a suspected dead dog, but an officer recognized it as the body of an adult bear.

Jennifer Toussant, the director of animal control, and a conservation officer with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources were also on site to assist with the examination and recovery of the bear, according to a statement from the AWLA. The bear’s body will undergo further forensic examination, officials said.

According to the authorities, there was initially no information about the cause of the bear’s death.

AWLA is asking anyone with information to call them at 703-931-9241 or email [email protected]. They are especially interested in anyone who remembers seeing someone with a large plastic bag in the area where the dead bear was found in the last few weeks.

This comes a few weeks after several people reported seeing at least one black bear near Arlington and DC. In June, a bear was captured in northeast DC and taken to a remote area in Maryland. Bears can be found throughout Maryland and Virginia and are regularly spotted in the suburbs.