In a recent incident in Florida, a black bear wandered into the backyard of a residence and spent a comfortable day. The bear not only took a bath in the hot tub but also slept on the porch for 6 hours. Eventually, it was captured by wildlife officials and relocated to a nearby state park.
According to reports from WBBH television station, the incident occurred on the morning of June 8th in Punta Gorda. Local authorities notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) around 9:30 a.m. that a black bear was roaming in the city area.
When the police, FWC officials, and a biologist arrived at the scene, they found the black bear had already entered the backyard of a residence. Footage from surveillance cameras showed the bear soaking in the residents’ hot tub and then moving the cushions from the porch sofa before sleeping for 6 hours.
FWC officials set up a trap inside the residence and used scare tactics to force the bear to leave. It eventually moved to an open area nearby and climbed up a tree.
Officials stated that the bear came down from the tree the next day and was captured in a trap baited with donuts.
The bear has been relocated to a state park near Punta Gorda.
In Florida, this is not the first incident of a black bear entering a residence.
In a previous report by Dajiyuan, on November 3, 2023, a black bear entered a residence in Orlando and even took away a food delivery left on the porch. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in that incident, and the food delivery platform Uber Eats refunded the meal cost.
FWC pointed out that the state only has one type of black bear, the Florida black bear, which is one of the 16 subspecies of the American black bear.
While other subspecies of the American black bear vary in fur color from black to light golden-brown, the Florida black bear is uniformly black. It is estimated that there are approximately 4,000 of these bears in Florida.