THERE'S BEARS OUT THERE IN FLORIDA

Terri Frana was in her Lake Mary yard on an April evening to check on her children when a black bear clamped its jaws on her head and started to drag her toward some nearby woods.  She escaped and received staples and stiches on wounds scattered around her head.  Five bears that seemed to have lost a fear of people were killed, one when it kept approaching wildlife officers who screamed, something that usually scares off a bear.

In December, Susan Chalfant of Longwood walked her dog in the subdivision and a bear circled her,  knocked her to the ground and badly pawed her.  She staggered to a neighbor's house for help so bloody he did not at first recognize her.  Six bears were trapped in the neighborhood and two that fit the description were killed, but by DNA neither were shown to be the culprit. 

In the 1970s, bear population in Florida was estimated at 300 and they were put on an endangered list. By 2002, the estimate was 3,000 and they were removed from the list.  Now, maybe 5,000 are roaming the state and those close to subdivisions find garbage cans are better than slowly picking berries and digging roots for a living.  Some people put out food for the bears without thinking of the potential danger of educating the bear that humans equal food.

Two deaths from black bear attacks east of the Mississippi have been recorded, one in Great Smoky Mountain National Park in 2000 and one Cherokee National Forest in 2006.  People in rural and recently developed locations need to become bear knowledgeable, or the deaths will increase.

The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission will host black bear management workshops from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, local time:
May 13 in Perry at Forest Capital Hall, 204 Forest Park Dr.
May 15 in Carrabelle at City of Carrabelle Auditorium, 1001 Gray Ave.
May 20 in Port St. Joe at Gulf Coast State College, Gulf/Franklin Campus, 3800 Garrison Ave.

Sales of land suitable for black bears include the April 2014 sale of 1,667 acres on SR 100 between Bunnell and Palatka for $2.2 million, or $1,320 per acre.  Timbervest of Atlanta was the buyer, adding to previous buys of about 8,000 acres nearby. Of the 1,667 acres, about 1,000 acres was in managed pine plantation and the rest in wetland and roads - beautiful for bears not accustomed to humans.     

If you need help finding land, rural or in the city, call Henry Rogers of Coldwell Banker Commercial Benchmark at 904-421-8537, or cell at 904-614-4828