JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Some Clay County residents are on a high alert after several sighting of a black bear in Keystone Heights.
Even Action News Jax Annette Gutierrez and her photographer, Steve Berrios saw the bear Friday night, just before five.
While the black bear has been keeping its distance from people, the problem is how close it is to a daycare with more than a hundred kids.
“He’s kind of like a novelty to everybody around here right now, because it’s not every day you see a bear up here in town,” Keystone Heights resident Ernie Williams said.
Having lived in Keystone Heights for more than 40 years, he says he sees bears in the wooded areas of town often, but sightings are not usual where there are many businesses.
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Action News Jax captured the moment the black bear walked along it’s typical path behind the ‘A Child’s Garden’ Daycare. Many other residents have taken photos and videos as well.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office put out a safety alert Wednesday (https://alerts.saferwatchapp.com/clay-county-sheriffs-office) saying the office had received reports of a black bear sighting off State Road 21 near a daycare.
“These are wild animals,” Williams said. “They could harm somebody or a dog or cat, people’s personal pet. And at the end of the day, we have to protect them first.”
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The daycare owner did not want to go on camera but daycare employees say they have seen this bear every day since Tuesday. The daycare has more than 160 kids, and staff told Action News Jax that the Department of Children and Families has suspended all outside activity until the bear is relocated.
An FWC spokesperson said they had received a report of a bear foraging acorns in the area. Biologists tried to haze it away, but it kept returning. So, they added a trap Thursday night in an effort to safely relocated the wild animal.
An FWC biologist placed bread with butter, corn, acorns, and some sweets inside the trap. There is even a gain camera placed near it to monitor it.
The bear activated the trap by stepping on a plate or pulling the baited bag inside. Now, FWC is warning the public to stay away from the area to allow for the bear to access the trap.
“At the end of the day, we got to protect the kids and the animals around here,” Williams said.
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FWC Bear Program Coordinator Michael Orlando spoke with Action News Jax in the summer. And he says during the fall bears start consuming more calories to prepare for winter. But, FWC receives calls all year round.
“We get around 6000 calls,” Orlando said. “But that ranges from, ‘Hey, I just saw bear while I was driving home from work,’ all the way to, ‘Hey, a bear just like broke into my house.’”
For more details on Black Bear activity during the fall, you can click here.
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