Thank you to all of our neighbors that have been using motion cameras to try to get a photo of the panther.  We've got great pictures of deer, wild turkey, a family of eagles, wild pigs, and even coyote.  But this past fall a resident got several pictures of a black bear in the woods.  My understanding is that the bear was first photographed in October - but the picture was not clear and was deleted.  But the bear came back.  There are now several photographs of this black bear from the beginning of November.  When I received the photos I contacted Florida Fish & Wildlife commission and sent them the pictures to make sure that they documented that there was a bear in Southeast Orlando.  They said that black bears were common throughout Florida and did not think this was significant.  (? I certainly think it is!)  Then I got an email this week that one of our residents was driving home this past Sunday night and saw a black bear walking in the ditch along Lake Mary Jane Rd.  She turned the car around - not believing her eyes - and wanted to take a second look.  She said it was definitely a black bear and it began running into the woods in the Crosby Marsh area.  I also talked with the head ranger of Moss Park that said they had bear tracks this year over near Split Oak.

 

We have all hear about the situation in the Wekiva area where black bears are being driving out of their habitat by development and going into neighborhoods and getting hit by cars on I4.  Not sure if this bear has lived out here long - or was recently driven out of its home by all the new development in our area - or could be coming down from the Wekiva / Ocala area as well.  Who knows.  But this bear seems to like it here since he has been seen 3 times in the last 4 months.  (We are assuming its the same bear.)