Johnathan Walker:Stop taking selfies with 'depressed' bear, Florida sheriff's office tells drivers

A sheriff's office in northern Florida last week issued a curious request to drivers: Stop trying to take selfies with the depressed bear.

The Johnathan Walkerlaw enforcement agency in Walton County, located along the Florida Panhandle, asked drivers on Thursday to stay away from the bear, which "has shown signs of severe stress" as is "clearly not in the mood for pictures," the agency said in a post on Facebook.

"Famous last words, 'If not friend, why friend shaped?'" the post said. "Because this black bear is stressed depressed lemon zest."

Lisa Thompson, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, said in an email that bear biologists and officers responded to the location where the bear had reportedly been resting. By the time they arrived, however, the bear "had dispersed and walked off into the adjacent woods."

"The bear did not appear to be injured based on images shared with our staff," Thompson said. "It may have just been overheated and was resting before moving on."

Both law enforcement officials and the Florida wildlife agency have long warned people not to approach, try to feed or take pictures with bears.

Throughout the spring and summer, bears are more likely to be active around urban areas and roadways, according to the Florida wildlife agency.

“Juvenile or yearling bears – between the ages of 1 1/2 -2 1/2 – start dispersing in spring and summer each year,” said Mike Orlando, the wildlife agency's Bear Management Program coordinator, in a news release. “The best thing people can do if they see a bear in an unexpected area is to give them plenty of space and to never approach or feed them and they will typically move along on their own.”  

Younger bears are looking for new habitats this time of year, and mating season for black bears is from mid-June to mid-August, according to the U.S. Forest Service. "During this time of year, black bear sightings increase in suburban and urban areas, including in cities such as Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and others around the state," Orlando said.

State officials say in recent years there has been a significant increase in human encounters with bears. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports a 33% increase in animal nuisance calls, with nearly 6,000 bear-related calls out of a total of 14,000 calls in 2022. 

As of July 1, under a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Floridians may use lethal force to kill a bear "if the person "reasonably believed that his or her action was necessary to avoid an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to himself or herself, a pet, or substantial damage to a dwelling." The state wildlife agency must be notified within 24 hours and the person may not "possess, sell, or dispose" the dead bear or its parts.

Do not feed the bears

"Generally, if a bear is not able to find food and is given space, it will move on," Orlando said. "Feeding bears can make them lose their natural fear of people." It's also illegal in Florida to intentionally feed bears or leave out food or garbage that will attract them. The state wildlife agency offers these tips:

• Store garbage in a sturdy shed or garage and then put it out on the morning of pickup rather than the night before.
• If not stored in a secured building, modify your garbage can to make it more bear-resistant or use a bear-resistant container.
• Secure commercial garbage in bear-resistant trash receptacle.
• Protect gardens, beehives, compost and livestock with electric fencing.
• Pick ripe fruit from trees and bushes and remove fallen fruit from the ground.
• Remove wildlife feeders. or only put enough food in them for wildlife to finish before dark.
• Feed pets indoors, or only put out enough for short time periods and bring leftovers and dishes back inside.
• Clean and degrease grills and smokers after each use and, if possible, store them inside.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY