Fla. black bear population also growing in number
Florida’s black bear population is growing, bursting nearly at the seams in some areas as development encroaches further and further into their habitat.
Black bears once ranged across most of the eastern United States, but populations collapsed in many areas as hunting and habitat loss took their tolls.
But the Florida population has been on the rebound the past 20 years, according to the volume of bear calls made by the public and by population estimates from biologists.
Bears calls to state wildlife managers have increased from 850 in 2001 to 6,734 in 2013, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records.
That’s more calls than there are bears here.
An estimate from 2015 shows there are about 4,050 black bears living in the Sunshine State. There hasn’t been a new count yet.
The FWC is the state agency charged with protecting and managing black bear populations, and the agency divides the species into subpopulations.
Bears found south of Lake Okeechobee live in what’s called the Big Cypress unit.
“(We) believe the bear subpopulation in the Big Cypress is doing well,” said Michelle Kerr, FWC spokeswoman. “In 2015, it was estimated at a thousand adults. This was up from the estimated 697 from 2002.”
FWC’S 2019 black bear management plan estimated an annual growth of 12.2% for the South Florida bears.
The state plans this summer to start a five-year study of the black bear population here, Kerr said.
Meredith Budd, with the Florida Wildlife Federation, said learning to live in bear country is key for helping to preserve the species.
She said “bear-wise” communities are areas where bears live but where property owners used bearproof trash cans and containers to avoid problems.
“It’s gaining popularity and it’s gaining legs here in Florida, and that’s really important for management,” Budd said.
“I think that having these communities follow the standards to help reduce conflict are really what we need to be seeing more of across the road.”
Florida black bears are relatively small, but males can still grow to 600 pounds or more.
They eat just about anything that’s easy to acquire, from fruits and berries to scavenged meals like a dead squirrel or bird.
Vehicle strikes are one of the leading causes of death.
Over the past decade, 246 car-related deaths were documented for bears living south of Lake Okeechobee, according to FWC records.
Budd said more travel corridors are needed to help the bears travel from one foraging area to the next.
She said learning to tolerate bear behavior will go a long way toward preserving the species.
“I think that’s the low-hanging fruit that can be implemented and can reduce the occurrences of bears coming into people’s communities,” she said. “When you have trash and bird feeders, if you live on the interface of wild lands, we’re developing land adjacent to where these animals live, so people are going to see them.”