Gaithersburg police are still searching for a black bear seen wandering residential streets this week.

The bear was first seen Tuesday in the area of Middlebrook Road and Frederick Road in Germantown at 8:12 a.m. A Gaithersburg resident reported seeing the bear the next day on Quince Orchard Road and Darnestown Road at 7:15 a.m. Thursday, the bear was seen once again. This time it was spotted in the area of Twelve Oaks Drive and Clopper Street in Gaithersburg just before 8 a.m., police say.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources informed neighbors to leave the bear alone and let it return to its natural habitat.

If officers do run into the bear, they plan on tranquilizing it and moving it further from urban areas.

Sightings are more common during the summer months, according to the D.N.R.

"In early summer each year, young bears disperse, or move out, to find a territory of their own,” Harry Spiker with the D.N.R. said. “They have been known to travel 100 miles or more while searching for suitable place.”

The D.N.R. reports black bears have been seen in Montgomery, Carroll, Baltimore, Howard, Harford, Cecil, Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties.

If you are faced with a bear, do not attempt to feed it or approach it. Scare it away by making some sort of loud noise.