Family of bears seen on camera strolling through Lee County neighborhood

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

A family of curious bears was seen strolling through a neighborhood this weekend. Cameras spotted them in the Brighton Pointe Community along Orange River Boulevard in Lee County.

The FWC’s Bear Management Program received a report of four bears within a mile of Fort Myers on Sunday, but has not received reports from the specific neighborhood. Staff says they will continue to monitor.

Wildlife officers say Florida black bears tend to be more active this time of the year.

When they show up in neighborhoods like this, they are either passing through to get from one forested area to another or locating easily accessible food sources like unsecured garbage, pet food, or bird seed.

People who live in the area say they didn't know this was something they needed to watch out for.

"Don't approach anything. It's still a wild animal, no matter how small a bear is or how cute. There's usually a mother bear somewhere, so she's not going to let you get close," said Joshua Ledbetter.

Dogs can trigger defensive behaviors from bears, including female bears with cubs. To avoid an encounter between a bear and your dog, FWC says bang on your door and flip your house lights on and off to give the bear and other wildlife time to leave the area before letting your dog out.

If you see a bear, give it space, don’t try to approach it, and never feed it.

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