Black bear caught on camera walking around near downtown Fort Myers
By WFTX Digital Team, Ella Rhoades
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FORT MYERS, Florida (WFTX) — Fort Myers Police told people to avoid an area near City of Palms Park on Monday morning, because of a black bear.
The bear was in a fenced in area near Broadway and Victoria Avenue. The police called in Florida Fish and Wildlife and FWC agents tried for a couple of hours to coax the bear into a cage, but were unable.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officer Adam Brown said, “Ultimately, we could tell from the atmosphere here with a lot of noise and a lot of stress added to that bear, it didn’t seem interested at all in eating, and we decided it was probably best to take action.”
Mickey Rosado woke up to see his business on the news. No break in or robbery, just trespassing.
The 350 pound male Florida black bear made its way behind Rosado’s fence at Appliances To Go USA.
“I’m glad it was here in my yard and not anywhere else that is something good,” Rosado said.
FWC eventually tranquilized it, so they could carry it off of the property.
“Being in Florida you just don’t know what you’re going to get. One day it’s something boat related, and then your out in the woods dealing with wildlife,” Brown said.
It’s not the first time a bear has made its way downtown. FWC said something similar happened a few years ago.
“A bear is a bear. You know. Although they be timid or dull, but they can be harmful too,” Rosado said.
He’s just happy everyone is safe.
He added, “There’s a lot of folks that come here downtown and walk toward the court house building. It could be a harmful situation.”
FWC said, they’ll relocate the bear outside of Lee County on state property.
They said to be careful this time of year as animals get more active.
The police department posted a picture of the bear on Facebook shortly after someone saw it early Monday morning.
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