Bear euthanized, FWC says "don't feed cubs"

MARY ESTHER, Fla. (WALA) - According to officials, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently euthanized an adult black bear in the Wynn Haven Beach community of Mary Esther in Okaloosa County. Organization officials said because the female bear had killed a pet and livestock, the FWC had to euthanize the animal.

The FWC said the bear raised two litters of cubs and been active in several neighborhoods in the area for a few years, but this year she became more bold and protective of her cubs. 

They said the easy availability of human-provided foods like trash, bird seed and pet food in neighborhoods caused the bear to completely lose her natural fear of people.

They also said she killed chickens and a dog on separate occasions. After multiple attempts, the FWC was able to trap her on Nov. 29. 

Her two cubs were captured by the FWC and relocated northwest of Wynn Haven Beach onto Eglin Air Force Base property. Officials said while cubs normally stay with their mothers for 18 months, the chances of survival for these cubs are relatively good.

“The cubs have been with their mother long enough that they are no longer fully dependent on her,” FWC Bear Management Program coordinator Dave Telesco said. “Remember though, that the worst thing people can do is to feed the re-located cubs. The best chance they have at survival is if they can learn to stay in the woods and not rely on people.”   

The 250-pound female and her 100-pound cubs were much heavier than typical Florida bears living in the woods.

The FWC said bears grow larger and produce more cubs when they have regular access to human-provided foods, which increases the number of bears living in neighborhoods and causing human-bear conflicts.

“This situation was preventable. If those bears did not have easy access to trash and other human-provided foods, they would likely have just passed through the neighborhood,” Telesco said.

The FWC has a wide variety of options from which people can choose to secure garbage and other items that attract bears.