TOWN 'N COUNTRY, Fla. — A bear was spotted in a tree in a Town 'N Country neighborhood Saturday, and it's causing quite a stir.
"We got a ring notification saying there's been a bear sighting in your neighborhood... I've never seen one this close to a neighborhood!" Mehak Aggarwal explained.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) laid out treats for the bear, trying to lure it to climb down.
"We are doing this solely for the purpose of doing a live trap. We would rather have them come down willingly, with motivation. We don't want to be using a tranquilizer," Forest Rothchild with FWC explained.
Bears are more active this time of year, and the FWC wants to remind people to give bears plenty of space and to never feed or approach them.
The FWC said that if given enough space, bears will typically move along on their own.
"Most likely it's going to go somewhere like Ocala National Forest. We really strive to make sure they can go to a place to find a new habitat and a safe location being away from people," Rothchild said.
The bear finally climbed down on its own several hours later.
To learn more about how to avoid conflicts with bears, click here.
The FWC wants to remind anyone who feels threatened by a bear or anyone who spots a sick, injured, or orphaned bear to call the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
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