Bear trapped near Florida elementary school

Aug 13: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission trapped a wild black bear, which was spotted near a local elementary school.

WFTV reports that residents including, Miguel Cisneros awoke to the sound of a trap shutting on the bear which had been spotted in the area earlier in the week.

“We heard a loud noise, and then we looked outside and heard some more ruckus and then all of a sudden we see a big bear,” he said.

The proximity to the school left some residents worried about the safety of the neighborhood children with the bear on the loose.

“There is a lot of kids. I’ve seen a lot of kids that walk around, they are like 5-year-olds, and I’m sure they will be terrified if they see a bear like that,” Cisneros said. “I’ve been here for 30 years and this is the first bear I have seen in my life.”

An FWC spokeswoman told the Orlando Sentinel the 150-pound female bear was not deemed a threat to the public and would be relocated to the Ocala National Forest.

A biologist with the FWC said bears sometimes follow train tracks, which may have led this bear to the residential area. Upi.com