How many black bears are in Central Florida? Right now, Florida Fish and Wildlife is trying to find out if the bear population is growing, after the number of bear encounters this year.
A bear was found Tuesday alone in a tree on White Heron Drive off Pine Hills Road in Orlando.
The last time a study like this was done was about 10 years ago. Then the number was around 3,000. With more bear sightings in the area, they say it’s time to count again.
Greg Workman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said humans have moved in on the natural habitat of black bears, so bear management is key.
“When we pick one up, we have to go relocate it somewhere," Workman said. "We want to make sure that that area can handle more bear.”
The way these bears will be counted and tracked is through traps designed to snag hair from a bear. Then they are immediately released.
“Basically, barbwire corrals," Workman said. "They’re 12’x12’ squares and we’re going to position the barbwire off the ground and above that one, two strands where it forces the bear to go through it instead of over it or under it.”
About 300 of these traps have been set so far, using food to lure the bears. Next week, FWC will begin going out into the wild to track and count the bears. We won’t know how many there are until summer 2015.