An Orange County commissioner wants bear-proof trash cans after some residents near Wekiwa Springs State Park say they spot bears around their homes every few months.
The bears are usually after their trash cans, they say.
- Bear reports up fivefold in 10 years in Orange County
- County commissioner wants bear-proof trash cans
- Orange County is 5th in state in number of bear-complaint calls
Andre Clark of Apopka says he won't leave his trash can outside for too long.
“Seems like they’re looking for food,” Clark said.
One night while he was tucking his son into bed, he said he saw something that caught his eye outside his window.
“Right by my trash can,” Clark said. He snapped photos on his phone of a bear taking a late-night snack from his trash. But he said this encounter wasn’t the only time.
“They’ve been right in front of my house, across the street. People are walking their dogs, and they’re running around,” Clark said.
Being so close to Wekiwa Springs State Park, neighborhoods such as Clark’s have to be on high alert, which is why signs around the area that bears can scavenge through garbage cans.
According to bear biologists, reports of bears in Orange County are up five-fold in the past 10 years. Orange County ranks fifth in the state for the number of bear-complaint calls.
“There’s been times when they’re literally rolling in the street eating food,” Clark said.
Most bear complaint calls are in the northwest region of Orange County, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. So county commissioners are weighing their options to add bear-proof trash cans to the mix.
“That may help,” Clark said.
FWC is supporting this effort to provide bear-proof trash cans. The state legislature granted the organization $500,000 for bear-related projects. Orange Commissioner Bryan Nelson is urging fellow commissioners to adopt the bear-proof trash cans for his district.
Discussion over the bear-proof cans will come up again at future commission meetings.