FLORDIA BLACK BEAR

[Carol Anne Kincaid~Paradis]

A'HO
A Florida black bear was spotted aboard a yacht earlier this week.

It seems like the wildlife living near Naples want to fit in and do their part to uphold the lifestyles of the rich and famous brand.

The black bear in question was caught hanging out on a 50-foot sailing catamaran docked at the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club.

Captain Todd Dillman, the owner of TowBoatU.S.-Naples & Marco Island, a tow service that tows boats when they break down, happened to be in the right place at the right time on Wednesday. He was driving by the yacht club in his boat when he spotted the bear walking around the catamaran deck.

Let’s just say seeing the black bear was a bit of a surprise for Dillman, who thought he had seen it all in his line of work.

"Snakes, gators, saltwater crocs, sharks ... never in a million years did I think I would see a bear."

Dillman said the bear swam across the harbor and got up on the boat.

"I had to video it because no one would believe me if I told it," Dillman said.

Where is the bear now?

Despite the bear abandoning its post, the bear is still “running around downtown,” Dillman said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision are monitoring the bear and trying to make sure it goes home.

How common is it to see a bear running about?

Florida Black Bear in suburban neighborhood.

There may not be a large quantity of black bears running around the Naples area, but it's not unusual to see on in your neighborhood from time to time.

Residents have posted a steady stream of videos on social media showing bears roaming around yards and looking for food inside garbage cans, frolicking in front of a house, or on a million-dollar yacht for example.

Black bears tend to prefer habitats with a dense understory such as forested wetlands and uplands, natural pinelands, hammocks, scrub, and shrub lands, but will use just about every habitat type in Florida, including swamps, according to the FWC website. 

What to do if you encounter a bear?

Since spotting a black bear in Florida from time to time isn’t unusual, there are a couple tips from The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission you can keep in mind if you ever see one while you are out and about. It might be rare for bears to seriously injure people, but bears have bitten and scratched people defending themselves, their cubs, or their food.

If you see a bear from a distance:

• Enjoy the experience, but do not move toward the bear, if your presence changes the bear's behavior you are too close

If you see a bear at a close distance:

• Remain standing upright

• Speak to the bear in a calm, assertive voice

• Back up slowly toward a secure area, be sure you are leaving the bear a clear escape route

• Avoid direct eye contact - bears and other animals may view this as aggressive behavior

• Stop and hold your ground if your movement away seems to irritate instead of calm the bear

If a black bear does attack you, you are encouraged to fight back aggressively. People have been able to successfully fend off a black bear attack using rocks, sticks, or even their bare hands, according to the FWC.

HAPPY TRAILS FRIEND BLESSINGS.