Watch: Florida bear feasts on kids’ Halloween candy
Fall is the time of year when bears become more active in search for food, and in this case, extra Halloween candy.
Florida bear feasts on kids' Halloween candy
Footage shows the bear standing on its hind legs with its front paws placed on a table adorned with pumpkins and glowing Halloween decorations. (Courtesy: Pari Limbachia / AMAZING ANIMALS+ /TMX)
LAKE MARY, Fla. – And kids thought they only needed to worry about their parents stealing their Halloween candy.
Video shot on Tuesday night shows a black bear eating candy in the front yard of a home in central Florida.
Footage shows the bear standing on its hind legs with its front paws on a table adorned with pumpkins and glowing Halloween decorations.
Bear feasts on Halloween candy in Lake Mary, Florida. Oct. 31, 2023.
(Pari Limbachia / AMAZING ANIMALS+ /TMX / FOX Weather)
As the bear turns its head, it can be seen chewing and chomping away at the food it had found on the table.
Fall is the time of year when bears become more active in search for food, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This is because the animals start to consume more calories, about 20,000 calories per day, in preparation for winter hibernation.
WATCH: TWO BEARS BUMBLE THROUGH THE PORCH OF A FLORIDA HOME
Bear activity increases as they prepare for hibernation
Corie Bowditch from the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks joins FOX Weather to talk about how bears work to obtain extra calories before their wintertime nap.
The FWC said bears will sate their caloric intake by taking advantage of easily accessible food, even if it means wandering from wild spaces to neighborhoods, such as those where candy was left out for Halloween.
"Any accessible food source, such as unsecured garbage, pet food or bird seed, can be enticing to a hungry bear preparing for the winter, potentially drawing them into conflict with people," said Mike Orlando, FWC Bear Management Program Coordinator. "However, if bears don’t find a food source in a neighborhood, they’ll move on."
A black bear.
(USDA Forest Service / FOX Weather)
The FWC recommends the following to minimize bear interactions:
- Never feed or approach bears.
- Secure food and garbage.
- Remove or secure bird feeders.
- Never leave pet food outdoors.
- Clean and store grills.
- Alert neighbors to bear activity.
They added that while black bears are typically not aggressive, the animals are capable of injuring humans and pets, particularly when provoked.
Black bears are the only native species of bear in Florida, the FWC said. An estimated 4,000 black bears can be found in the Sunshine State.