Report: Small bear shot in Seminole

Small bruin killed near Longwood got into garage fridge

The bear shot and killed near Longwood last week had pulled out trash and gotten into a garage refrigerator, state wildlife records show.

The records, obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, include the first official confirmation from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission that a bear was fatally shot in Seminole County a week ago.

The agency previously said it was looking into a “bear incident” and declined to provide details, saying the matter was an “open and active investigation.”

The FWC was notified by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office about 10:15 p.m. July 24 that “BEAR ATTACKED MAN AND WENT AFTER DAUGHTER HE SHOT BEAR,” according to a dispatcher’s notes, which were typed in all capital letters and not punctuated.

While hunting a bear is illegal in Florida, the FWC website states: “Anyone can defend themselves or another person from imminent threat of injury or death posed by any wildlife species.”

Mike Orlando, a bear biologist and the agency’s assistant bear program coordinator, arrived within minutes and immediately gave the agency details.

The man, who was not identified by name, was not injured.

The shooting occurred on Thistlewood Circle, near Smokerise Boulevard.

Bears have been a frequent cause for concern over the past year in the neighborhood, which is part of the Wekiva Springs community, where the animals are considered part of the landscape because of its proximity to Wekiva Springs State Park.

Last week’s incident occurred south of Wekiva Springs Road and east of North Hunt Club Boulevard, about two miles from the park entrance.

Last August, another resident on Thistlewood Circle called the FWC’s nuisancebear hotline to report a bear in a garage, and in December, a resident on nearby Springcreek Drive reported an “aggressive bear” in his yard.

According to data compiled by the newspaper from complaints to the hotline, the calls were two of seven in a 12-month period made by residents living within two blocks of the home where the bear was fatally shot last week.

According to a summary of the latter call, the resident said a bear was on a hill behind his home and his daughter and the family dog were on the porch.

The summary said the bear hissed and came charging toward them.

According to data compiled by the newspaper from complaints to the hotline, the calls were two of seven in a 12-month period made by residents living within two blocks of the home where the bear was fatally shot last week.

FWC records of that incident say that the man screamed at the bear, which was in the garage and had opened the fridge. The bear left but then returned.

“It hissed and charged at him and he shot it [with] a 22 rifle,” the record says.

Orlando told the dispatcher, “It was a fairly small bear.”

The records do not detail the animal’s weight or provide other dimensions.

It was unclear from the information provided by the FWC if the bear was the same animal that had prompted other resident calls, two of which reported a “sick/injured bear.”

On April 24, a caller reported that a bear had injured her dog on Smokerise Drive and had damaged a bird-feeder filled with bird seed.

The caller, Mireille Alhajj, has lived in the neighborhood for about 18 years and said she no longer puts out seed and corn for birds and squirrels.

“The bears smell it and come to the backyard,” she said Wednesday. “I didn’t know.”

When she reported the incident between the bear and her dog, a German shepherd named Hunter, she pleaded with the wildlife agency not to harm the bear. Hunter is fine, she said. “We chose to live in an area with bears,” Alhajj said.

She said a monthly neighborhood newsletter reminds residents to keep their trash locked up and their garage doors closed.