Sightings of a Florida black bear reported in Crystal River

Due to several reports of Florida black bear sightings in Crystal River, FL, residents are advised to take steps to make their homes less attractive to them, thus encouraging them to return to their natural habitat, which includes hammock-type ecosystems with flatwoods, scrub oak ridges, swamps and/or bayheads. The area that a bear inhabits, in search of food, water, and adequate cover, is called its home range.

To discourage a bear from turning your neighborhood into it's home range, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encourages residents to secure household garbage in a shed or garage, and inside a wildlife or bear resistant container, placing household garbage outside on the morning of pickup rather than the night before, securing grills in a inaccessible area such as a shed or garage, when possible, and removing other potential food sources, such as bird feeders and pet food, from outside your home.

The FWC would not relocate the bear unless it caused a problem, but any sighting should be reported to the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922, or online by clicking here: public.myfwc.com/fwri/blackbear/Desktop.aspx.

The Florida black bear sighted in Crystal River is believed to be a juvenile, between 150-200 lbs., in search of a territory or home range. Sightings have been reported at the following locations: near N. Dunkenfield Ave., behind the Publix supermarket, on Sept. 14; near Three Sisters Springs on Sept. 15, near NE 3rd St. on Sept. 16, and on Sept. 17 near the Crystal River Golf Club on W. Pinebrook St., and later, west of that location, just off US 19, between Crystal River and Homosassa.

It is illegal to feed bears in Florida. "A fed bear is a dead bear," according to the FWC. In the 1970s, the black bear was considered a threatened species, with its population estimated at approximately 300. As its numbers increased, the black bear was removed from the threatened species list in 2012, and by 2017, it's numbers had increased to approximately 4,050.

Locations in Florida where Florida black bears can be viewed:
Brevard Zoo (Melbourne, FL)
Busch Wildlife Sanctuary (Jupiter, FL)
Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens (Lake Monroe, FL)
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (Homosassa, FL)
Gulf Breeze Zoo (Gulf Breeze, FL)
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (Jacksonville, FL)
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens (Naples, FL)
Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society (West Palm Beach, FL)
Tallahassee Museum (Tallahassee, FL)
ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)