Bear seen wandering through Naples captured by FWC

Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
bear
Black bear spotted in downtown Naples. CREDIT: Kristijan Petrov

A bear who was caught on camera during multiple sightings in urban and populated areas around Naples has been relocated.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the FWC Bear Management Program trapped the bear late Monday evening, releasing it at the Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Tuesday morning.

Bears are known to be more active in the fall, which means sightings can become a bit more common.

It’s likely the animal was trying to find its way out of the urban areas that it was seen in. FWC staff set some traps to try and catch the bear because it seemed to have a difficult time navigating out of the populated area.

Nevertheless, when you do encounter a bear in the wild, always give it plenty of space and move away from the animal as quickly and calmly as possible, said FWC.

Call FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922 if you feel threatened by a bear or want to report any sick, injured, dead or orphaned animals.

Click here to learn more about managing interactions with bears.

Click here to learn more about bears from FWC.

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