Florida black bear leads officers on a slow police chase in Homestead. Watch what happened
It’s likely one of the slowest police chases you will ever see in South Florida.
A 200-pound Florida black bear — caught in 4K on a Ring security camera being followed by police cars — was captured over the weekend after causing a commotion in Homestead, authorities said Monday.
The footage shows the juvenile male bear slowly walking on the sidewalk in front of several homes as two police vehicles trailed behind with emergency lights on at the Isles of Oasis neighborhood on Thursday.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received multiple reports of a bear sighting in a residential area in Homestead and near Baptist Health Homestead Hospital around 10:00 p.m. that same night, Arielle Callender, an FWC spokeswoman, told the Miami Herald.
Two days later, the bear was captured near a wooded area where it had been previously spotted before being released at Picayune Strand State Forest on Sunday
“During this time of year, bears are more active,” Callender said. “Juvenile bears are starting to disperse from their mothers and may be seen in unexpected areas as they make their way to other habitats and typically move away on their own.”
What to do if you spot a bear
Seeing a bear in a neighborhood is not necessarily cause for alarm, according to Callender. However, it is important that residents secure food so that bears do not linger in the area.
“If a bear is not able to find food, it will move on,” Callender said.
If you see a bear, give it space and don’t try to approach it — and never feed it.
Contact the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) if you feel threatened by a bear; observe a sick, injured, dead or orphaned bear; or to report someone who is either harming bears or intentionally feeding them.
To learn more about bears and how to avoid conflicts with them, visit MyFWC.com/Bear or BearWise.org.
