Large Black Bear Spotted Roaming Behind Homes in Orange County

Aerial footage captures large black bear roaming Orange County neighborhood. Photo by Orange County Sheriff's Office, Florida | Facebook

The last thing someone living in a neighborhood may expect to see when they look out their window is some of Florida's larger, typically forest-bound wildlife — especially not a giant Florida Black Bear like the one spotted in Apopka last Wednesday by the Orange County Sheriff's Office (OCSO).
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OCSO's helicopter crew was performing a visual sweep of the area over Apopka on New Year's Day when a large black bear was discovered roaming behind a home near a screened-in pool at approximately 12 pm noon.
The video footage shared by OCSO shows the bear slowly wandering around the perimeter before turning towards what appears to be a small thicket of trees behind another home, becoming visually obscured.

The spotting has prompted OCSO and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to remind Floridians to be diligent in maintaining their homes and surrounding yards to prevent attracting these bears to more populous areas by doing the following:
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• Put trashcans curbside on the morning of pickup, not the night before.
• Add hardware to your existing, sturdy trashcan to make it more bear-resistant.
• Protect gardens, apiaries, compost and livestock with electric fencing.
• Encourage your homeowners association or local government to institute ordinances on keeping foods that attract wildlife secure.
• Feed pets indoors or bring in dishes after feeding.
• Clean grills and store them in a locked, secure place such as a sturdy shed or closed garage.
• Remove bird feeders or hang them at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet away from trees or structures.
• Remove wildlife feeders or make them bear-resistant.
• Pick ripe fruit from trees and remove fallen fruit from the ground.
• Inquire whether local waste service providers offer bear-resistant trash cans or dumpsters.
• If your waste service provider does not offer bear-resistant trash cans, you could purchase your own wildlife-resistant container or dumpster. Before purchasing a bear-resistant container, be sure to check with your waste service provider to ensure they will service it.
• Build a bear-resistant shed to store your trash can until it is ready for pickup. The FWC have three designs to choose from: two cans, single can – slated, and single can – enclosed.

Those with pets are also encouraged to do the following to keep your furry-friends safe from a potential bear attack:

• Store pet feed inside a secure structure such as a shed or barn.
• Avoid leaving pet food or dishes outside overnight. Tethered pets should be able to move a safe distance away from their food bowl.
• Outdoor pens should have a roof or be high enough to keep wildlife out and have a skirt that extends outward and underground to prevent digging under the fence. Pens should be as far as possible from tree/shrub lines or other cover for wildlife.
• Keep areas around outside pens and enclosures well mowed to reduce cover.
• Before letting pets out into the yard, make noise and flash lights to startle other wildlife that could be in the yard.
• Install motion detector lights around all areas of the property.
• In the event of a pet treeing a bear, call your pet inside to a safe and secure area, allowing the bear time to retreat.
• Consider walking your pet on a non-retractable leash which allows better control of your pet in the event of an encounter.
• Bears are most active at night and during dusk and dawn. Try walking your pet during daytime hours. If that is not possible, be careful around wooded areas.
• While walking your pet, bring noise makers or bear spray. Making noise will alert wildlife to your presence and allow time for it to move away from you and your pet.
• If contact occurs between your pet and wildlife do not try to physically separate your pet and the animal. Retreat to a safe place; if possible spray the animal with bear spray or a water hose and make loud noises to try to break up the contact.
• Hazing is an effective way to encourage wildlife to stay away from people. Making noise with your voice, an air or car horn, pots and pans, or a can full of pennies are recommended techniques.
• Bear Spray can be used to deter a bear if you encounter one at close range (within 30ft). This highly effective product can be found online or through any outdoor product supplier
• Protect your pets with an electric fencing enclosure. Check often to ensure that the fence is functioning properly.
• Sturdy wooden hutches are the most reliable form of protection for outdoor small animal enclosures such as rabbits and guinea pigs. Securely attach a side of the cage to a permanent structure to prevent the hutch from falling over. Secure doors with locks, keep top covered and secured. In bear country, add an electric fence for further protection.

Contrary to popular myths, Black Bears are the only species of bear found in the Sunshine State. FWC Biologists estimate that there are approximately 4,050 Black Bears that wander and occupy approximately 49% of their historic range of state land — a number that has been on the increase in recent years as a result of conservation efforts following being on the Threatened Species list from 1974 to 2012.

Feel like Black Bear spottings in more metro areas across the state have been on the rise? You might not be imagining things.

According to FWC research, since the 1980s, the Florida Black Bear population has been expanding consistently alongside the state's human population. Florida has grown from 5 million residents in 1960 to 20 million today, a population that's projected to reach nearly 36 million by 2060. As a result, habitat loss at the hands of urban sprawl encroaches on traditionally remote areas that these bears like to call home, putting people in more direct contact with bear country.

While you may be more likely than ever to spot a bear in your backyard in Florida, the FWC reminds the public that feeding bears is not only dangerous, but illegal in the Sunshine State.

If you spot a bear or its cubs near your home, the FWC recommend not approaching or attempting to pick them up. Instead, spotters are urged to report the sighting to the state by contacting your nearest regional FWC office, calling their toll-free afterhours wildlife alert hotline at 1-888-404-3922, via their online reporting tool, or by texting *FWC or #FWC with the answers to the following questions:
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• What is the exact location of the animal?
• Is the bear alive or dead?
• Is the bear blocking a roadway?
• What is the bear's approximate size?
• Can you provide a contact number where you can be reached for further information, if needed?

If your bear spotting report includes information that leads to an arrest for a violation of Florida Wildlife Laws, the FWC states that rewards of up to $1,000 may also be available, the amount dependent on the severity of the crime.

For more information on how Floridians can remain "BearWise" visit MyFWC.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/bear/wise/.

Article by Rachael Volpe