FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A black bear has been safely removed from a Fort Myers neighborhood after it was spotted on the loose Monday morning.
Authorities went around the city chasing down this bear for hours until they finally captured it.
"The bear was right outside my apartment and I shut the door." John Skeens says he couldn't believe what he just saw and reopened his front door to take another look. "It was moving, not running, but it was just walking slow. So I walked right behind it and it turned around and looked at me."
He says the bear just kept walking across DeLeon Street to the Park Place Apartments, located just south of Colonial Boulevard and west of U.S. 41. "Then once it got over there it was lost and it didn't know where to go."
He thinks the bear was hungry and looking for something to eat, because there is a dumpster on their street. "It’s just crazy how it got here. All these apartments are fenced in; that means it would have to come across Colonial."
He says officers pulled up minutes later, and nearby Grace Community School was placed on lockdown as a precaution.
🚸 Good news: we have confirmed with the Fort Myers Police Department that the bear is in custody! Lockdown is over, and the school day will continue as normal. Have a great day!
— 🐳 Grace Community School (@GCSchool) June 4, 2018
Fort Myers Police and Lee County Sheriff’s deputies cornered the bear. A resident says they used waffles and syrup to catch him.
It doesn’t appear they had to tranquilize the bear. We could see it moving in the cage as the bear response contractor drove away.
BEAR CAPTURED: Authorities safely caught a black bear roaming around Fort Myers this morning. A resident says they used waffles & syrup to capture the animal. It appears the bear wasn't tranquilized. They caught him outside Park Place Apts. off of Colonial Blvd & US 41. @Fox4Now pic.twitter.com/qwnai2spgy
— Jillian Hartmann (@JHartmann_TV) June 4, 2018
Florida Fish and Wildlife say the bear was a yearling, and was a little over 1 years old.
It weighed about 170 pounds and was released into the deep woods of Collier County.
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UPDATE (11AM) -- The black bear has been safely captured. More details to come.
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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Authorities were tracking a black bear wandering near an apartment complex in Fort Myers Monday morning.
The bear was seen near the Park Place Apartments along DeLeon Street.
That's just south of Colonial Boulevard and west of U.S. 41.
