FWC warns of increased bear activity as animals wake from hibernation

LELY RESORT, Fla. (WINK) — As bears wake up from hibernation this spring, Florida Fish and Wildlife is urging residents to stay bear-wise and prevent potential conflicts by eliminating food sources outside their homes.

Tom Linder saw a bear up close at Lely Resort and says it's not the first time. A video captured the moment a bear approached a building.

"It's spring. They're hungry, and they're looking for food," Linder said.

Linder says bears come on a consistent basis. "We see them at night. We see them in the morning, but this was one of the rare sightings. We saw him in the afternoon," he said. "A lot of people get scared, but for the most part, on a black bear, you don't get between the bear and its cubs, the mama and its cubs, you'll be fine."

He isn't the only person seeing more bear activity. Joe Mauro saw a family of bears near dumpsters at the Cypress Trail RV Resort.

"My dogs were kind of fussing a little bit, so I was getting them ready to take him outside, and I thought, Boy, that's a really big dog," Mauro said.

Mauro was excited by the encounter. "It's nature at its best. And, you know, with a lot of the growth in the area, they need a place to survive also," he said.

Michael Orlando, bear program coordinator for FWC, says this is normal for this time of year. Bears are waking up from hibernation and trying to find food fast.

"Let me just start out by saying that this is normal for this time of the year. So definitely seasonal bear behavior," Orlando said.

Residents can stay bear-wise by getting rid of or locking up things that attract bears, like trash or pet food. "If it's going to bring bears from the woods into your yard, you want to make sure that that stuff is taken and picked up, because that is the biggest issue that we have between human bear conflicts is, if there's an attraction out there, bears will take advantage of it," Orlando said.

If you see bears where you live, lock up your trash cans until trash pickup day. Use straps or bear-resistant garbage cans and don't leave any pet food outside.

Click here for FWC's bear safety tips and resources.