Black bear caught taking a dip in resident’s hot tub
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By Melany Hernandez Lopez, Madison Monroe Adams
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PUNTA GORDA, Florida (WBBH) — A black bear was spotted Sunday morning wandering through a Punta Gorda Isles neighborhood in Charlotte County, prompting a response from wildlife officials.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Punta Gorda Police Department notified them at around 9:30 a.m. that a black bear was seen wandering within city limits.
The Punta Gorda Police Department, FWC officers and a bear management biologist responded to the scene, at which point the bear had made its way into the backyard of a residence in Jamaica Way.
The black bear took a bath in the resident’s hot tub, removed the cushions off the couch underneath the lanai, and took a six-hour nap. The FWC placed a trap on the property and used hazing techniques to encourage it to leave. The bear eventually moved to a nearby vacant lot and climbed a tree.
FWC personnel placed a humane trap at the base of the tree and maintained a presence in the area to monitor.
The bear was spotted sleeping in a tree in a neighbor’s yard on Hibiscus Ct. Monday evening. The FWC said they are waiting for the bear to wake up before relocating it.
As of the last update, FWC said that the bear was trapped and relocated Monday night.
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