State wildlife officials are
trapping and euthanizing any black bears in Eastpoint after a girl was attacked
by a bear Sunday night.
15
year old Leah Reeder was bitten and scratched by a black bear while walking her
dog behind the Big Top Supermarket Sunday around dusk.
She
was taken by ambulance to Bay Medical Center where she is recovering.
This
is an active time of year for black bears so there are likely multiple adult
bears around Eastpoint looking for food in garbage cans and dog bowls.
The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commission said the state has set 4
traps in Eastpoint including two culvert traps and two Cambrian traps to catch any
bears they can.
Any
adult bears that are caught will be euthanized.
FWC
said they got samples of the bear’s DNA from the girl’s clothes and sent that to
a lab in British Columbia.
They
will also send samples from any bear they capture and kill in Eastpoint so they
will be able to verify that they got the right bear.
In
general, black bears have a natural fear of
people but as their population grows and more
of them venture into towns they lose that fear, especially if people actively feed
them.
It
is illegal to feed bears in Florida and is likely a death sentence for the
bear.
To keep bears away from your
home, make sure to store all food and garbage in secure areas or get a bear
proof garbage can from your garbage company.
And
if you are aware of bears that may pose a danger to people or of people feeding
bears, you can call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) to
report it.
http://live.oysterradio.com/
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