Human/Bear Conflicts

Seeing a wild bear is a rare sight that eludes most Floridians. When bears are seen in the wild, it's usually the back end as they run away. If you do see a bear, leave it alone, watch it from a safe distance, and let it pass. Most of the time, bears sense you and sneak away before you even know they are there. While there are no documented bear attacks in Florida, black bears are large, powerful creatures, and they have attacked people in other states.  Problems arise when bears are fed by or find food near human habitation.

DO NOT FEED BEARS!

Sometimes they appear gentle but, like alligators, once bears lose their natural fear of people and become habituated, they may become dangerous. It is illegal to intentionally feed bears in Florida (FWC Rule 68A-4.001).

Learn how to avoid attracting bears to your yard. Leaving pet food on a porch or in the yard or purposely feeding bears will eventually cause problems for you, your neighbors, and the bears. 

The most common attractant is leaving garbage where bears can get it.  Store your garbage in a shed, garage, or other reinforced container, and wait until the morning of pickup to put it out for collection. You can purchase or build your own bear-proof garbage containers.  

Once bears find food, they will continue to return for the easy foraging, potentially causing damage to property in their search. For more suggestions on how to reduce bear problems, read our online fliers and pamphlets: Bears and Human Food Attractants, If You See a Bear in your Community, Living in Bear Country, A Homeowner's Guide and Living with Florida's Black Bear.  Remember, bears will investigate items that you may not think are bear food, such as: motor oil, barbeque grills, and livestock feed. The swamp and upland habitats of Florida black bears are also good habitat for honey bees and popular spots for deer feeders.  The best way to prevent bear raids on apiaries (or other structures) is to surround it with a well-maintained electric fence. For help in minimizing bear damage to deer feeders, read FWC's Technical Information Bulletin Bear-proofing Your Wildlife Feeder. 

If you continue to have bear problems, call the FWC at the number listed in your local phone directory, or contact the regional office nearest you for technical assistance. In extreme cases, FWC may have to euthanize nuisance bears to ensure human safety when they threatened people or cause severe property damage.

Humans and bears come into conflict many different ways. FWC has tracked and categorized the calls we have received since 1978. The following pie chart shows the different types of complaints:

These problems have increased in recent years, especially during the recent drought. Other causes for the increase in complaints may be increases in development, fewer people familiar with bears, and increased reporting.

Of the total complaints taken by the FWC since 1978, most come from the Ocala bear population. This large bear population borders on several heavily developed neighborhoods; the combination of high bear and people numbers causes more conflicts.