News Release

FWC captures bear in Orlando area

June 2, 2008
Contact: Joy Hill, 352-732-1225 or 352-258-3426

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) captured a black bear on Saturday night that was thought to have been wandering around Universal Orlando, in the area of the Hard Rock Hotel, over the past week. Security officers at the hotel initially saw the bear and reported sightings to local police.

“After several days, we were able to determine the bear’s established pattern of behavior,” said Mike Orlando, a biologist with the FWC’s Bear Management Program. “We set a trap in a neighborhood where the bear had been seen, and a resident called at 10 o’clock Saturday night to tell us the bear had been captured.”

The bear weighed 180 pounds and was thought to be approximately 3 years old. After tagging and collecting biological data, the FWC transported the bear to the Ocala National Forest and released it.

Orlando urges anyone who encounters a bear or any wild animal to follow these simple steps:  

• Do not approach, feed or chase the animal.
• Allow the animal room to escape.
• Call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) if there are any problems with a wild animal.

“With the public’s cooperation in following the FWC’s steps, this situation was resolved without incident,” Orlando said.