On Wednesday, August 24, the Loudoun County Department of Animal Care and Control hosted a forum to address potential public safety issues regarding the recent increase in wildlife contact with the public in Loudoun County. The forum focused on incidents of public contact with black bears as well as other wildlife such as deer, coyotes, raccoons, and foxes.

Members of the Department of Animal Care & Control were joined by special guests Bruce Lemmert, the Virginia State Game Warden for Loudoun County, and John Rohm, Wildlife Biologist from the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. Also attending were representatives from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, Middleburg Police Department, Purcellville Police Department along with members of the Fairfax County Department of Animal Control.

The forum opened with a discussion of the roles & responsibilities of the various agencies regarding wildlife issues. Mr. Rohm and Mr. Lemmert provided educational information and answered questions from the group on black bear behavior as well as the background and history of black bears in the Loudoun County area, and on the State's Black Bear Management Plan. They also answered questions regarding legal and regulatory requirements in handling black bears and other wildlife.

The forum discussed the importance of and ways our agencies could work together to educate the public on how to respond to wildlife contact, especially with black bears. According to Game Warden Bruce Lemmert, public safety agencies should strive to "empower the citizens and arm them with this knowledge." He also acknowledged that as the population diversifies and continues to build on land that typically served as habitats for the County's wildlife population, human contact will increase and the cultural tolerance for dealing with wildlife is likely to decrease.

As a result of this forum, Tom Koenig, Director for Animal Care & Control, volunteered his staff and resources to develop a Wildlife Resource Plan for Loudoun County. The Department will work with the other public safety agencies including our state representatives to author this document in the coming months. Representatives from this forum agreed that public input is vital to developing this plan.

"As Loudoun County's residential and business population continues to grow and expand, we have and will continue to see increased contact between wildlife and the public," explains Koenig. "We facilitated this forum in order to take a more proactive approach, along with our fellow public safety agencies, to develop an informational resource and plan that will help minimize public anxiety over contact with wildlife." Mr. Koenig stated, "I am very encouraged by the discussion and feedback provided by the participants at this forum and believe that this is a significant first step in addressing the public safety concerns with this issue."

For more information on the Public Safety Wildlife Forum please contact Laura Danis, Public & Community Relations Coordinator, at 703-737-8045.