Black Bears are busy during the summer

Summer time is an active time for Florida’s black bears. During this time of year the bears are searching for a variety of fruits and other seasonal foods that grow throughout their range. Summer is also breeding season, when bears search far and wide for mates. In late summer, juvenile bears leave their mother's home range and look for new habitat. All of those factors can bring bears into populated areas where they normally would not venture. To minimize the chances of black bears wandering into your yard the best thing to do is remove or secure anything that might attract animals, such as garbage cans, pet food, birdseed, outdoor grills and compost bins. If a bear continues to come into an area after all attractants have been removed then its time to call the FWC to trap the bear. You can do that by calling the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. However, if you do encounter a black bear at close range, the FWC recommends following precautions: Remain standing straight up; back up slowly; speak in a calm, assertive voice; do not run or play dead; and leave the bear a clear escape route.