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Bear captured, relocated from Chassahowitzka

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

The tagged bear runs back to the wild this afternoon.

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TBO.com

Published: August 26, 2009

Updated: 08/26/2009 07:29 pm

CHASSAHOWITZKA - Trappers last night snared a Florida black bear in the backyard of a homeowner in Hernando County, officials said. Today, the bear was tagged and took a ride somewhere to the north of where it was captured, where it was released back into the wild.

Florida Fish and wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Gary Morse said the bear was becoming bothersome in the undisclosed neighborhood because a resident continued to stock his birdfeeder that was being raided by the bear. In Florida it is illegal to leave food out specifically to attract a bear.

Once that happens, the bear becomes used to easy eats and strolls to other homes where it eats from other feeders or garbage cans.

Morse said that whenever the bear is released in areas near where it was caught, they always find their way back to the easy pickings. If the bear is trapped a second time, it becomes a nuisance animal and faces the possibility of euthanasia, he said.

The bear was weighed, tagged and tattooed, and a tooth and hair samples were taken for aging and identifying it.

The Florida black bear is a threatened species. They can grow to up to 450 pounds.

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