On August 04, 2013 officers from DeFuniak Springs Police responded to the area of 1911 Walton Road in reference to a bear in a tree. When the officers arrived the bear displayed no aggression; therefore officers monitored the situation to ensure there were no indications that anyone or the bear would likely be harmed.
Since January of this year the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has logged 360 plus calls about bear sightings in a four county area. That's up from 249 during the same period last year. Wildlife officials say the number of black bear sightings is on the rise in the Florida Panhandle.
DeFuniak Springs Police would like to remind their citizens of a few tips on bear awareness:
• Never feed a bear, it causes them to become a nuisance.
• Studies indicate human trash accounted for 70% of the bear-human
conflicts.
• Bears generally will avoid humans unless they grow accustomed to eating
human food or garbage.
• Leave them alone.
• Report the sightings to your local Law Enforcement for informational
purposes.
For Photographs Visit: http://www.bluemelon.com/DFSPolice
Lieutenant Tilman Mears
Criminal Investigations Division Commander
mearstf@defuniakspringspolice.net