May 31, 2009 11:55 pm US/Eastern
Black Bear Captured In So. Fla. Suburb
It Will Be Released In A State Forest In Collier County
WESTON (CBS4) ―
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This black bear was spotted by Tomas Fernandez as he had breakfast in his Weston home.
COURTESY OF TOMAS FERNANDEZ
Residents of Weston can breathe a little easier now that a young black bear that had been spotted roaming their neighborhoods has been bagged – or at least darted.
Early Sunday morning the bear was spotted at Royal Palm Boulevard and Bonaventure Boulevard near a golf course by a Broward Sheriff's deputy. Florida Fish and Wildlife officers, along with Broward Sheriff's deputies and police from various agencies, converged on the area. After two hours of careful searching, the bear was spotted again and shot with a tranquilizer dart.
"He's been roaming the area for about a month I guess, and we finally got the chance to tranquilize it," said Wildlife Biologist Joe Bozzo. "
It took a lot longer than I thought it was going to. It could have been because he was very relaxed. Sometimes if they're too relaxed it doesn't take effect."
But some Weston residents said they didn't mind sharing their suburb with a bear.
"I'm ok with it being here," said Weston Resident Jaime Calabrese. "It was probably here first."
Weston Resident Amy Prinzo told
CBS4's Joan Murray she felt sympathy for the wandering bear.
"They caught the bear? Poor thing. Poor thing," Prinzo said. "He deserves to have a home, too."
The 200-pound bear will have a home. He will be taken to a protected state forest area west of Naples in Collier County where it will be released.
Ron Bergeron, of the FWC, said the bear had grown comfortable around Weston.
"We like them to, on their own, leave the area due to lack of food or whatever," Bergeron said. "The only problem is that west of Weston here there's very pristine habitats which has quite a bit of food for the bear which is why the bear didn't leave."
Last week, the bear caused Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston to be placed on lockdown for a short time after it was spotted nearby.
About a month ago, residents of the Weston neighborhood Windmill Reserve also reported spotting a black bear in their backyards. The bear was spotted three times in several days. One resident even videotaped the bear browsing around his backyard and then walking away toward some trees.
Jorge Pino said finding a live black bear in South Florida is rare. Prior to the April sightings, the last sighting of a live bear in Broward County was in 1978.
Occasionally black bears have had run-ins with cars. In February, a 200 pound bear ran into a car on the Turnpike near US-27. Black bears are typically found in the Big Cypress Preserve but sometimes travel in search of food. The preserve is more than 30 miles away from Weston.
CBS4's John MacLauchlan contributed to this report
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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