Florida – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has created two more videos for its educational “Living with Florida Black Bears” series.
The FWC hopes the videos will help educate Floridians on how to coexist with bears safely. The video, “Bear Behavior,” shows how to properly deal with a bear if you ever come into close contact with one. You are advised to speak assertively and to back away from the bear slowly. The FWC says that bears usually not aggressive, but can be if they feel threatened.
The second video, “Scare the Bear,” shows how residents can safely deal with bears that come onto their property. The FWC asks that you secure garbage cans because bears are drawn to them with their exceptional sense of smell and need for food. Also, scaring bears is essential to keeping them away from areas with lots of people.
Below is a list of other videos in the “Living with Florida Black Bears” series. Every video can be viewed here. In the next few months, the FWC plans to release more bear-related videos.
“The No. 1 cause of conflict with bears is unsecured trash and other attractants, such as pet food, barbecue grills and birdseed,” said the FWC’s Bear Management Program leader, Dave Telesco. “As bears spend more time in neighborhoods, they begin to lose their natural fear of people, which can lead to dangerous encounters. These videos highlight steps that can be taken to ensure the safety of both bears and humans.”
The FWC is also offering several local governments with “BearWise” ordinances $515,000 to help pay for equipment.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
