Following the mauling of Lake Mary resident Terri Frana last Saturday, many are calling for a change in the way wildlife are treated after such an event.
Many neighborhoods have been frequented as of late by black bears in their attempts at finding food left out in garbage cans. Unfortunately for some residents, these bears aren’t always friendly.
In response to Frana’s mauling by a black bear in her neighborhood, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission set out to eliminate the fear present in the community.
Sadly, many feel that the organization stepped out of bounds after wildlife officials shot one bear and euthanized four others in the hopes that the one that mauled Frana was one of them. Wildlife officials stated that once the bears show no signs of being scared of humans, they become a danger to the communities.
To some, all of this sounds incredibly hypothetical. Instead of unnecessarily putting down bears which could not have been involved in the incident, animal activists are asking that the black bears be relocated to areas that aren’t heavily populated.
Some possible ways those in neighborhoods bordering forests or areas known to be frequented by bears can help bypass similar situations from happening in the future, is to not leave food exposed outside, even if it’s under the cover of garbage bins. Since the bears are able to smell the food remnants, it would be best to keep bins in garages or similar enclosures until the morning the trash is scheduled to be picked up.