It’s Buffet Time For Bears; FWC Asks For Sighting Reports

October 15, 2013

In fall, the world is an all-you-can-eat buffet for Florida black bears. Programmed to pack in extra calories before winter, bears can smell food a mile away and will eat almost anything. Bears may decide an overflowing trash can is easier pickings than searching for acorns and berries.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds the public this is a critical time of year to properly store garbage, pet food and birdseed to keep bears out of places where people live and work. During the fall, bears with big appetites are less likely to linger in neighborhoods if people don’t give them access to food.

“People can prevent problems with Florida black bears by safely securing garbage, putting out garbage cans the morning of pickup rather than the night before, and using bear-resistant garbage cans or dumpsters.” said David Telesco, the FWC’s bear management coordinator.

Surveys of Florida communities with access to bear-resistant trash cans or dumpsters show the overwhelming majority are pleased with the results.

“The FWC is committed to helping the public keep bears out of garbage and out of neighborhoods,” said Telesco. “Now, we’re asking the public to help us better understand the range of the Florida black bear in the wild.”

As bears become more active in fall, more people are also going outdoors for hunting, fishing, hiking, biking and wildlife viewing. The FWC is asking the public to report their sightings of Florida black bears or their tracks to a new web page: https://public.myfwc.com/fwri/blackbear/. Biologists are especially interested in sightings of a female bear with cubs.

The bear sightings  page will help biologists update the map of where bears live in Florida. However, the Web page is only for sharing bear location information. FWC regional offices remain the places for people to call for advice on how to resolve human-bear conflicts.

The web page has the option for people to upload photos of bears or their track, but residents are advised not to approach bears to take photos of them. Black bears are generally not aggressive, but approaching them can make them defensive. Adult males typically weigh 250 to 400 pounds and can be as large as 600 pounds. Extra caution is appropriate when a mother bear and her cubs are sighted. Photos from game cameras are welcome.

“We know about prime bear habitats such as the Apalachicola National Forest, Ocala National Forest and Big Cypress National Preserve. While bear subpopulations are mainly centered on large public lands, bears also occur elsewhere, and those locations have been underreported,” said FWC bear research biologist Brian Scheick. “Our bear range data is 11 years old, and we are excited about getting the public’s help in identifying all the places where bears now live in Florida.

“What we learn from the new bear sightings Web page will inform the FWC’s efforts to document bear distribution and help with future bear management decisions,” Scheick said.

The black bear is a conservation success story in Florida, with the population growing from as few as 300 bears in the 1970s to an estimated population of more than 3,000 today.

Pictured: This black bear wondered through a Cantonment apartment complex for days last year until it was captured and euthanized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

12 Responses to “It’s Buffet Time For Bears; FWC Asks For Sighting Reports”

  1. Patricia on October 12th, 2015 8:02 am

    A bear has been coming in my yard for almost two years. It’s getting more and more comfortable here. It even laid down last night as if to take a nap. My seven year old grandson recently moved here and I babysit him. I’m afraid for him to go outside. .I need HELP!

  2. baebae on October 16th, 2013 8:57 am

    Just the BEAR FACTS please…

  3. Ryan on October 15th, 2013 11:39 pm

    A couple years back there was a bear that was in someone’s backyard in a neighborhood on Pine Forest Rd and 9 1/2 Mile. They had some video of it and it was on the news. It may have been the one that was in the apartment complex. I thought they relocated the Pine Forest Rd bear.

  4. Hunter on October 15th, 2013 10:04 pm

    Lets Hope that they stay away but of u see one dont shoot it there has never been à black bear attack in Florida

  5. Robert S. on October 15th, 2013 8:07 pm

    @ Molino Jim……
    ” Bears have been “relocated ” after being tagged in Gulf Breeze to the northern part of Eglin AFB and they showed back up in Gulf Breeze.”

    Maybe they just like living in “Gulf Breeze Proper”…?

    Bears is bears and no human will tell them what to do or where to live.

  6. Puddin on October 15th, 2013 6:24 pm

    Bears! Where? Been out here in the sticks for 20+ years and never saw one. Lots of deer, a few large cats, and some really wierd red squirrels with black heads, but no bears. Lets hope it stays that way! :-)

  7. Franka K on October 15th, 2013 3:28 pm

    I am really excited has anyone ever seen any in Beulah? I used to see deer in my yard but none in a few years….

  8. molino jim on October 15th, 2013 3:14 pm

    For all those who are so concerned about the bears– I hope you never find yourself or a family member between a female bear and her cubs. Bears have been “relocated ” after being tagged in Gulf Breeze to the northern part of Eglin AFB and they showed back up in Gulf Breeze.

  9. bewildered on October 15th, 2013 11:45 am

    I agree with Yogi and would not call FWC to report a bear sighting either. The bear that was hanging around the apartment complex in Cantonment should have been relocated – not euthanized. They are especially interested in mother bears with cubs – my foot! I don’t want to be responsible that bear cubs are being slaughtered just because they happened to be born in a populated area of the State? .

  10. molino jim on October 15th, 2013 8:57 am

    Yogi– What happens if a child comes out of one of the apartments with something sweet and the bear hurts or kills the child for it? Wouldn’t the net be on fire with”they should have done something before this happen”.

  11. Kim on October 15th, 2013 5:54 am

    Why was it euthanized? Did it try to attack someone? What ever happened to relocation? Sad.

  12. Yogi on October 15th, 2013 3:20 am

    FWC captured and killed the one in Cantonment so if I see a bear they’re the last people I’m going to call.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News