Wildlife can be fascinating to watch, but too close an encounter is risky for the animal and the people involved.
Residents of Fort Myers, Florida, were alarmed in July when a juvenile black bear wandered into their neighborhood, Gulf Coast News reported.
What’s happening?
On Thursday, July 17, a black bear was seen in multiple backyards on McGregor Boulevard. Jenifer McBride, communications director for the Lee County Mosquito Control District, was at work when she learned that her home was one of them.
“I got a call at work [Thursday] from my husband saying that in our backyard … there was a bear here,” McBride told Gulf Coast News. “Which is crazy because it’s fenced in.”
According to McBride, the bear ate from her bird feeder and spent some time simply appearing to enjoy the backyard.
“It’s a beautiful backyard,” she said. “So it’s definitely a backyard to enjoy. But really it was just looking for food; it was just making itself at home.”
The bear entered other yards as well, and at least one resident got video of the visitor.
“I’m scared,” said Fort Myers resident Kayla Lukesic. “I have little kids, I have dogs. I’ve heard of bears in Naples or near the beach, but not here off McGregor.”
But this is far from the first time a wild bear has wandered into a residential area. One example from Anchorage, Alaska, involved a hungry bear trying to get into a trash can, and another similar case took place in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
Why are bear encounters important?
The more that wildlife habitats shrink and human habitations expand, the more encounters with wildlife increase. Animals wander into our space — which was once their space — in search of food, shelter, and other animals, or out of simple confusion or curiosity.
Once there, it’s easy for an animal or a person to get hurt — and even if the animal is all right in the short term, the excursion can still be harmful in the long term if the individual loses its fear of humans and gets even bolder.
An animal that starts seeking out people on purpose may need to be put down for the safety of the community.
What’s being done about bear encounters?
In the case of this specific bear, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was notified late on Thursday.
It captured the bear with assistance from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, catching up to it in a small, wooded area near Winkler Road and Sunset Vista Drive. FWC said it would relocate the bear to a more suitable area away from people.
In general, people can help prevent negative wildlife encounters by keeping a safe distance from wild animals, securing any food and trash out of the reach of wildlife, and never feeding or intentionally attracting large animals.
And, of course, we need to preserve healthy habitats for our wild neighbors so they can find everything they need to thrive — without coming to our backyards to get it.
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