VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — For the second time in a week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to a report of a person injured by a bear in Volusia County.
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FWC biologists are working to catch a bear in Daytona Beach after a man there reported being attacked while trying to protect his dogs. The man was injured but is expected to recover, FWC said.
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If captured, per FWC policy, the bear will be humanely killed because it “poses a threat to human safety.”
FWC staff returned to the neighborhood Thursday morning to alert the neighborhood and provide tips on avoiding conflicts with bears.
Remove attractants around your house. Wildlife, including #bears and #coyotes, is always looking for an easy meal. Check out our tips for securing attractants and reducing #wildlife conflicts: https://t.co/Rgyu9u0Pns pic.twitter.com/bSVU4oWDRZ
— MyFWC (@MyFWC) January 14, 2022
Wednesday’s attack was the second in Volusia County in just over a week.
Last Thursday evening, a woman in DeBary said she was also attacked by a bear while walking her dogs.
She spent a night in the hospital recovering from injuries to her face and head.
FWC agents tranquilized and killed the female bear, but not her three yearlings.
FWC said no attempt was made to capture the yearlings because the 100-pound bears were old enough to survive on their own.
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Despite the two incidents in the same county within a week, FWC says bear attacks in Florida are actually extremely rare.
“The FWC receives up to 6,000 bear-related calls a year and have documented only 15 incidents of people being moderately to seriously injured by bears in more than 50 years,” FWC said in a statement.
To reduce interactions between bears and humans, FWC officials recommend securing any sources of food around the home like garbage, pet food, and bird seed.
To avoid conflicts with bears and dogs, they suggest banging on your door and flipping house lights on and off to give the bear time to leave the area before letting the dog outside. If there is a conflict between your dog and a bear, they suggest using a water hose or bear spray if available.
People who are attacked by bears should fight back aggressively, FWC says.
To report a threatening bear, or one that appears to be sick, injured, dead, or orphaned, contact FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
The hotline can also be used to report people harming or intentionally feeding bears
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For more information on bears in Central Florida and avoiding run-ins with them, click here.
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