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Bear goes trick-or-treating in Florida
A black bear seemingly wanted to join the fun on Halloween and go trick-or-treating around a neighborhood in Seminole County. Pari shared this video with FOX 35 of a bear sniffing around a Halloween display outside someone's home. Though, it's the conversation that's happening between a couple of kids off-camera that steals the show.
LAKE MARY, Fla - A family trick-or-treating in Central Florida on Halloween this week found something unexpected – a wild black bear munching on some candy or pumpkins in front of a decorated house.
Pari Limbachia and her family were trick-or-treating in a neighborhood in Lake Mary, Florida, when they spotted a black bear in someone's yard. The video shows the bear standing on its hind legs over a table and eating whatever was on it – likely some pumpkins or leftover candy.
The bear occasionally looks around, but was unphased by the people standing mere feet from him.
Hilarious, kids off-camera wonder if the bear is eating the candy with the wrappers still on before sharing their own experience apparently eating a Starburst candy with the wrapper on. Watch the video in the player above.
VIDEO: THE MOST POLITE TRICK-OR-TREATER
Way up in the Florida Panhandle, Zak Lee captured a family of bears walking across his front porch. One of them spots the eye candy and decides to take a look, a few sniffs, and eventually, a single piece of candy.
In a Facebook post, Lee said he was a very polite trick-or-treater. Most importantly though, it's not clear what candy Lee was passing out in his dish.
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The most polite bear trick-or-treating in Florida
Zac Lee, who lives in Navarre in the Florida Panhandle, had an unexpected trick-or-treater on Halloween -- a group of black bears. But there was one who was the most polite -- sniffing around the candy bowl left outside and seemingly taking a single piece of candy.
In all seriousness, there are more than 4,000 bears throughout Florida, according to the FWC's last official count in 2015 (the next is scheduled for 2025). Bears are part of everyday life in Florida, though it's important to be safe around them.
According to the FWC, people are encouraged to avoid interaction with bears, while also eliminating the food sources that attract bears to homes and neighborhoods, such as garbage, food, pet food, cat litter, and bird seed.
MORE BEAR STORIES
- 'We live in fear': Lake County family battles persistent bears breaking into home 'every other night'
- Giant, beefy bear caught on camera taking a lunch break inside a Sanford garage
- Bear rescued at Disney World's Magic Kingdom: New video show how it was spotted
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When Florida Attacks: How to live with bears
FOX 35 talks with Mike Orlando, the lead bear program manager with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, about bears in Central Florida. How many are there? Where do they go? Why do we see them in backyards? And do bears attack, and why?
Bears are often in search of food and if they do not find it, they will move along. However, if they continue to find food and interact with people, they become less afraid, according to the FWC, whic isn't good for the bears or people.
In the fall/winter, bears are exploring more often then the summer in search of food to store calories ahead of the winter months. Bears are then active again in the spring while raising their cubs and exploring their home ranges.