Florida Bears

No we're not talking about a football team. Some news from the Orlando Sentinel-

Wildlife officials often remove nuisance bears from neighborhoods and transport them miles away into the forest.

But that strategy doesn't always work so well, according to results of a study by a University of Florida graduate student.

More than a year ago, researcher Kim Annis and state wildlife officials were tranquilizing dozens of nuisance bears, strapping electronic collars onto their necks and tracking their movements around the state.

But almost half of the 41 bears that Annis studied over 2 1/2 years got into trouble again. They were discovered back in residential neighborhoods, digging in dumpsters or dog-food dishes. Some were repeat offenders.

The bears can wander "incredible distances," Annis said.

One, a male labeled N33 captured outside a home in the Apopka area, was tracked romping through a large area of Central Florida during 11 months.

The bear traveled about 550 miles, Annis said, at one point venturing into Winter Park and Casselberry and damaging several fences. He eventually wandered back to the area where he had been captured, near Kelly Park, where his tracking collar dropped off. Researchers haven't seen him since then.

"If the idea in moving these bears is it's supposed to be a negative experience, and it's supposed to stop future nuisance behavior, it didn't work," said Annis, who also discussed her findings last week at the 19th annual Eastern Black Bear Workshop in West Virginia.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials expect to use Annis' research as they rewrite 14-year-old guidelines on managing the state's black-bear population. A draft of the new guidelines should be complete by next spring.

Have the bears read the guidelines? Here's another Florida story about a bear. Sometimes I get a chuckle out of wildlife experts. When will they learn that wild animals will act like wild animals, not like humans. Nor will they respond in a way people want them to act.

Maybe Kim Annis needs to start thinking like a bear. I'll let my readers make the necessary wisecracks.

Linked to- Bullwinkle, DragonLady, High Desert Wanderer,