VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A black bear sighting in Virginia Beach’s Alanton neighborhood surprised residents this week, with some saying they never expected to see one so close to home.
“I would have thought you were crazy,” said Kirstyn Atkinson, recalling what she might have said if told she would see a black bear in Virginia Beach.
Atkinson said she spotted the bear Wednesday and captured video of the encounter.
She said she had been walking in her neighborhood with a friend and her son when a neighbor pulled over to warn them about a black bear seen down the street. Later during the walk, two police officers also told her they were searching for the animal.
When she returned home, Atkinson said she was thinking about how exciting it would be to see the bear herself. Moments later, she looked out her window and saw it in her backyard.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” she said.
Atkinson said the bear eventually left, climbing back over her fence.
The Alanton neighborhood is located near First Landing State Park and the Narrows, where Atkinson believes the bear may have come from.
She was not the only resident to see the animal.
Claye Rhea said she spotted the bear while driving on Laskin Road on her way to work.
“I’m almost at Hilltop, and I look to the left and see this large creature sprinting across the road,” Rhea said. “Then it jumps onto the median and starts running toward my car, and I realized, ‘That’s a bear.’"
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources said bears are common across Virginia, including in Hampton Roads.
Wildlife officials said sightings can occur in neighborhoods, especially when food sources are available, but tend to decrease as natural food becomes more abundant during the summer months.
Officials advise residents not to approach or corner bears and to observe them from a safe distance.
Atkinson said she has not seen the bear since and hopes it made its way back to a more natural habitat.
“My family has been asking for updates, but there haven’t been any,” she said.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
