One bear got a slice, the other went without
A Florida couple were woken up suddenly, late on May 10 as the alarm on their covered porch was triggered. Unsure of what might have set off the alarm, they reviewed film caught on a security camera that showed two black bears roaming around their porch and searching through a trash can for discarded food.
On the footage we see one lucky bear manages to find himself a slice of pizza before wandering out through a hole in the screen. His buddy is not so lucky, and leaves empty-pawed, setting off the alarm on his (or her) way out!
Black bears are common in Florida and usually keep to themselves, but are drawn by the prospect of free food. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advise that garbage cans containing food waste are secured so that curious bears aren't tempted.
Bear encounters are common in Florida
Last month, a video caught on an Orlando doorbell camera captured the moment when a black bear chased a Florida couple and their black puppy dog up their drive and right to the front door. They'd taken an evening walk and encountered the bear in their neighborhood. In this case, it seems the bear considered the puppy - named Prince - as a possible meal!
Since being published on April 29 the video has gone viral.
Bear encounters on the increase?
In January of this year there were two reported encounters between bear and human in Florida, both which involved dogs too.
In Daytona Beach, a man was caught on a doorbell camera fighting off a black bear that wandered into his porch, drawn presumably by his dog who had wandered in. The man was praised by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on their Facebook page, for being 'Bear Wise'.
Bears aren't just scavengers
While bears seem mostly to be motivated by finding food, one bear caught on camera in Florida just appeared to be wanting to help out. It was caught on camera apparently wheeling a garbage can up the driveway, while walking on its hind legs!
More and more bears in Florida
According to the FWC, there are an estimated 4050 black bears in Florida. The population seems to be growing by around 50% every 20 years which means that with more people moving to Florida, the number of encounters between humans and bears seems likely to increase.
It seems wise then to be aware of guidance from the FWC regarding how to live safely around bears:
Has a bear ever wandered near to your home while looking for something to eat? Have you had any close encounters with bears or any other of Florida's wild creatures? Let me know in the comments section below.
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