Black Bear Sightings on the Rise in the Florida Panhandle

Black bear sightings are on the rise in the Florida panhandle, local wildlife authorities report, prompting many to call for an increase in public education on the animals.

Since January, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has received some 360 calls regarding bear sightings within a four-county area, compared to last year's 249 during the same time period last year, according to Fox News.

As of 2002, the FWC estimated that between 2,500 and 3,000 bears lived in the state, occupying only 18 percent of their historic range.

It's this diminishing habitat, FWC Spokesman Stan Kirkland says, that is driving many of the new sightings.

"As towns develop and new developments open up, it's a situation where we've seen across the state people who are moving into wildlife habitats; and now, they're face to face with the creatures that inhabit them," the official told WTSP.com.

This uncomfortable juxtaposition for both bear and human is only too clear in the reports of bears being left as roadkill along the sides of roads.

Just last week, the FWC was called to a busy highway where a female black bear weighing 110 pounds was found dead, bringing the total tally of bears hit and killed by vehicles up to four for 2013.

As a result, local leaders are working to ensure the safety of both humans and the animals through public education efforts.

Among the main topics of discussion, according to FWC biologist Barbara Almario, is that of proper handling of food waste.

"I mean, we put garbage out in scraps of food out onto the curb and we leave it unattended," she told WFSU. "So, the best thing people can do is to learn how to secure that garbage until the day of their garbage pick-up."

When people encounter a black bear, the FWC cautions against running as well as avoiding direct eye contact, the latter of which is interpreted by the animal as aggressive behavior.

Rather than playing dead or turning one's back to the bear, the agency councils simply backing away slowly, ensuring the bear has an escape route. Talking, too, may help, though if a black bear attacks, the FWC says one's best bet is simply to try to fight it off.

"People in other states have successfully fended off black bear attacks using rocks, sticks, or even their bare hands!" it reports.