FWC Home : Wildlife & Habitats : Species Information : Black Bears in Florida : Human/Bear Interaction

Human/Bear Interaction

Black bears are shy, secretive and very intelligent animals.

Most of the time, bears will sense your presence and sneak away before you even know they are there.

If you do see a bear:

• leave it alone,
• make noise to alert the bear to your presence,
• watch it from a distance,
• back away slowly,
• and/or give it space and let it pass.

Do not turn and run away. The bear may chase you if you run. There have been no documented bear attacks in Florida.

Sometimes bears appear gentle but, like alligators, once bears become habituated to humans, they may become aggressive.

Problems arise when bears are fed by people or find food near human habitation.

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.

It is illegal to intentionally feed bears in Florida. (FWC  Rule 68A-4.001)

DO NOT FEED BEARS!

The most common attractant is garbage. Leaving garbage where bears have access to it is essentially feeding bears.

Store your garbage in a shed, garage, or a wildlife resistant container, and wait until the morning of pickup to put it out for collection. You should always wait until the morning of pickup to put your trash out for collection.

You can also retrofit, purchase or build your own bear or wildlife resistant garbage containers or caddy.

Once bears find garbage or pet food, they will continue to return to the easy food source, potentially causing damage to property in their search.

Bears have developed a taste for people’s garbage because it is often higher in calories than their natural food sources.
The flier “In a Bear’s Quest for Calories…” contains common types of human foods as contrasted with how many acorns a bear would have to eat to get the same amount of calories.

For more suggestions on how to reduce bear problems in your community you may also want to 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 
• 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 Make Your Wildlife Feeder Bear Resistant.

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.

Humans and bears encounters happen in many different ways. FWC has tracked and categorized the calls we have received over the last 30 years. The following pie chart shows the different types of reports:

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Reports of sightings and problems have increased in recent years, especially during years of drought. Other causes for the increase in calls may be increases in development, increase in human populations to bear habitat, new residents or visitors response to discovering bears in Florida, and increased awareness for reporting.

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Of the total calls taken by the FWC since 1978, most come from the Ocala bear population. This bear population borders on several heavily developed neighborhoods; the combination of high numbers of bears and people increase the likelihood of encounters.

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In extreme cases, FWC may have to euthanize problem bears to ensure human safety.