Black bears are on the move

            This is the time of year that Florida’s black bears really start eating in preparation of winter.

The bears will eat just about anything from berries, nuts, and fruit to insects.

But since they are trying to fatten up they’d rather have high calorie meals like your dog’s food or just about anything in your trash.

That means there is a much higher chance that a bear might be visiting your yard over the next few months.

You can minimize the chances of bears stopping at your house if you take a few simple steps like feeding your animals in a closed off area and not leaving dog food outside.

Bear proof trash cans are also available from local garbage companies, but if you don’t want to pay the extra cost you just need to keep your trash can in the garage or some other spot that bears can’t reach.

And there’s always a few people who think its fun to actively feed bears, but in the long run that bad for the bear.

Bears are naturally shy, but if they lose their fear of humans the state will have to step in and either relocate the bear and in some cases euthanize it.

And it can be bad for the person doing the feeding because its illegal in Florida to leave out food or garbage that will attract bears and cause human-bear conflicts.

The FWC is asking the public to report their sightings of Florida black bears or their tracks at myfwc.com. 

Biologists are especially interested in sightings of a female bear with cubs.

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