VDOT says contract company workers responsible for dumping dead bear found in Arlington

ARLINGTON, Va. - A company contracted by the Virginia Department of Transportation has claimed responsibility for dumping the dead black bear found in a trash bag in Arlington over the weekend. 

According to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, the company said the bear had been hit by a car on I-66 in Prince William County. 

The workers put the bear into a trash bag and took it to Arlington, where they illegally dumped it over an overpass onto the Custis Memorial Trail.

The bear was found around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, May 31.

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Arlington County Animal Control responded to the trail in the area of Spout Run Parkway near North Adams Street, to investigate what was initially reported as a dead dog. 

When they arrived, an animal control officer discovered that the animal was actually an adult black bear, and a call for information was put out. 

The Animal Welfare League says around 3:30 p.m. Monday, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources notified them that they had found the responsible parties. 

"All of us here at AWLA are very frustrated by the outcome of this situation," said the organization's spokesperson Chelsea Jones. "We know that the workers and the contractors who do this job know what they are supposed to do with animals when they are found deceased on the side of the road and so the situation that we find ourselves in is disappointing."

"I have been in the animal welfare field for almost 13 years. I have never seen a situation like this in the time I've worked here," she added.

In a separate statement, AWLA said it "is working with the Department of Wildlife Resources to determine if charges will be filed for this egregious behavior."

The name of the company contracted by VDOT has not been released.