Tis the season for black bears

It's that time of year when black bears are wandering into local neighborhoods looking for food and water.

Some have recently set their sights on backyard animals, adding to the recent uptick in bear activity around King County.

In late June, a bear killed and ate a goat that was kept in the Bridle Trails neighborhood in Bellevue. Cpt. Jennifer Maurstad with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife told KUOW's Angela King that a pet rabbit and some chickens have also been killed in the area recently.

This may seem unusual, but Maurstad said it's really not.

"We're definitely no stranger to bear sightings and bear encounters throughout Washington state and, specifically, in King County where there's several if not hundreds of sightings every year," she said. "This is the time of year when bears are out and about, and their number one goal is looking for food."

They're not exactly picky.