SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- Florida Fish and Wildlife officers are trying to trap a black bear in The Springs in Seminole County, where a homeowner found a bear that managed to get itself into her SUV over the weekend.
- FWC looking for bear that got inside SUV
- The bear opened one of the unlock doors
- The inside of the vehicle was destroyed
FWC is now urging everyone in the community to use caution.
Rikki Koberg-Perrero recorded video of the incident with her cell phone. The video shows the bear trapped in the SUV after it opened an unlocked door and got inside.
“If I hadn’t seen the video I wouldn’t have believed that was possible,” said Shannon Carranza.
Carranza walks several of her neighbor’s dogs in the same area where the bear broke into the SUV. FWC says it also believes the same “momma” bear attacked two dogs in the neighborhood recently, killing one of the dogs.
“Usually the owners don’t even want them in the yard, on a leash – right in front – and they do their thing,” said Carranza.
FWC helped get the bear out of the SUV, and the bear and her yearlings ran off. The inside of the SUV was destroyed. FWC now has traps set up in the area.
The Springs HOA recently furnished all homeowners with bear-resistant trashcans.
The cans make it possible for someone to push in a lever and open the lid of the can, but bears can’t usually get into the cans – discouraging them from going into the neighborhood to find food in trash. But several residents told Spectrum News 13 they believe bears are still making their way into The Springs because people living just outside the neighborhood aren’t using the bear-resistant cans.
“The bear cans is a great start to that, keeping garage doors down and now – maybe thinking about not having food in the car,” said Carranza.
Carranza says she enjoys living in The Springs because of the wildlife. But it comes with a big responsibility.
“We agreed when we moved in here that was something we would live with and we adjust our lifestyle according,” Carranza said.
Despite recent incidents, Carranza says she doesn’t believe the bear should be trapped.
“I think living in The Springs we have the responsibility of living amongst them,” Carranza said.
FWC says if it catches the nuisance bear involved in the recent incidents, it will have to evaluate what to do next – so it’s unclear at this point what will happen to the bear.