Black bear spotted in Pasco County neighborhood

Some Pasco County residents are on the lookout after spotting a black bear in their neighborhood.

“So I look over and I thought to myself, ‘Is this a dog?’ It had to have been because I don’t just see bears roaming in my backyard,” Lexington Oaks resident Madison Showalter said.

To Showalter’s surprise, it wasn’t a dog, but a black bear.

“I had seen it like just walking very slowly, and then when I started screaming it like darted so fast through the woods,” Showalter said.

Showalter said she brought her animals inside and told her neighbors, who are now taking extra precautions with their pets.

“We have a big side yard and we just let them walk around in the side yard and they’re pretty good but now we’re not sure we’re going to do that,” neighbor Marisa Torres said about her two dogs.

Florida Fish and Wildlife said the bear that was spotted was likely from the Chassahowitzka National Refuge, about an hour north from Wesley Chapel.

Farther north in Marion County, another black bear recently had a close encounter with a deputy. That bear, FWC said, is likely from the Ocala National Forest.

Experts said the bears wander into urban areas looking for food or the younger bears are forced out by their parents.

FWC said it doesn’t happen too often but it’s not unusual for the bears to wander this far, but for some residents it was quite the shock.

“I’ve never seen a bear in my life. That was the first time so I was freaking out,” Showalter said.

FWC said the bears are generally not aggressive however, their behavior can change when they are given food.

Experts said the black bear population has been expanding since the 1980’s. It estimates there are more than 4,000 bears in the state.

This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 8:15 PM with the headline "Black bear spotted in Pasco County neighborhood."