FORT MYERS, Fla. — A large black bear was spotted running through a Fort Myers shopping complex Saturday night, climbing a tree near Texas Roadhouse before moving on.
Watch as Fort Myers Community Correspondent Anvar Ruziev takes you to the busy parking lot that the bear ran through:
The bear left visible claw marks on a tree off Dani Drive, where the bark was peeled off during its climb.
"It was just insane to see a bear that big that was right here in the middle of everything, there's barely any woods around and it's a big parking lot and it was just moseying around," said Shane Blankman, a veterinary clinic employee who witnessed the incident.
Video captured Saturday night shows the bear running through the parking lot as a car drives by, before the animal climbed a tree near the restaurant.
This sighting is the latest in a string of bear encounters across Southwest Florida. The bear was spotted approximately 3 miles from Six Mile Cypress Preserve, which closed its boardwalk on Friday due to another bear sighting.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says black bears are normally shy and avoid humans. However, when bears find food in garbage, grills, or pet food, they lose their natural fear and begin appearing more frequently in neighborhoods.
"I think it really just wanted to get away. In the fight or flight, I think it just had the flight mode. It just wanted to get away from everybody. I don't think it intended or was going to cause any harm," Blankman said.
FWC warns that feeding bears is illegal and can create dangerous situations for both people and bears.
These sightings come amid a statewide debate over a possible bear hunt this fall and following a fatal bear attack in Collier County earlier this month.
We're waiting to hear back from FWC about the status of this specific bear and will provide updates as they become available.
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