Dear Alafaya Woods Residents,
With the recent bear sightings, we would like to remind everyone that we are living in a Bear Country. We do not have many sightings, but occasionally bears do pass through our community.
Seeing a black bear is a thrilling and rewarding experience. The presence of bears is not necessarily a problem or a threat to your safety. But it is important to remember that bears are wild animals and deserve respect. If you are not careful, you could break the law and risk both your own safety and the bear’s.
Follow the following advice closely to keep bears wild and your property secure. For more information go to: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/bear/living/
Seminole County. The regulations employ nationally recognized best management techniques for eliminating bear attractants, and require that refuse, the most significant contributor to bear-human conflicts, be secured in a manner that precludes access by bears.
The core of these bear management regulations focuses on the elimination of bear attractants within designated Urban Bear Management Areas. Within an established Urban Bear Management Area, Residential Refuse Customers must secure their refuse until the designated collection day. This may be accomplished through storage of refuse containers within a garage, shed, or other secured structure until 5:00 am on the day of collection. While Residential Refuse Customers may alternatively elect to secure refuse within a bear-resistant container, the new bear management regulations do not require Residential Refuse Customers to purchase bear-resistant refuse cans. If a bear-resistant container is selected, the timing limitations for placement of refuse containers outside of a secured structure do not apply. Commercial Refuse Customers located within an established Urban Bear Management Area must secure their refuse within a bear-resistant container. For frequently asked questions,
Bears are driven by their need to eat and with a sense of smell that can detect odors over a mile away, problems arise when bears gain access to food sources such as pet foods, garbage, barbecue grills, bird seed or even livestock feed.
Bears are highly intelligent and adaptable, learning quickly to associate people with food. Black bears are normally too shy to risk contact with humans, but their powerful need to find food can overwhelm this fear.
As bears become “food-conditioned” (dependent on a food source) they are more likely to frequent residential areas and cause property damage to get these unnatural food sources. Over time, they become “habituated”, gradually losing their fear of humans and will return frequently to locations with accessible food.
It can take several weeks after preventative methods have been implemented before a bear will understand that the food source is no longer available.
Once bears lose their natural fear of people, often due to access to food attractants, there is often little hope to make the bear wild again. These habituated and food conditioned bears are often killed, either by vehicle collisions, illegal shooting, or as a result of bear management actions to keep the community safe.
Unfortunately, relocating bears is often not feasible. Areas large and remote enough to move bears where they won’t encounter people are rare in Florida. Additionally, relocated bears typically leave the new area, either to return to their original home or to leave an area already occupied by other bears. Some bears will wander through unfamiliar areas and cross busy roads, creating a danger to the bear and to motorists.
If a bear comes into your yard; Once the bear leaves, take a look in your yard to ensure there is nothing that might be attracting the bear. If you see a bear is eating something on your property, take note of what it is and secure it once the bear leaves.