Does Your Neighborhood Really Pass the Bear Test? by Tim L. Tetzlaff,

The dog was barking in the backyard — not his usual bark, but the urgent, stubborn kind. He wouldn’t come when I called. He was staring into the dark beyond our four-foot fence. I grabbed a flashlight. A black bear looked back at us.

The bear was about 40 feet beyond the fence. I called out to let him know a human was here and used the bear whistle I’d grabbed off the door handle. He wasn’t charging as I rushed the dog back in the house, but he also wasn’t leaving. Not great.

Not every encounter ends that cleanly. When a barking dog goes after a bear, a loving owner understandably wants to rescue their dog. But we both know who to bet on when bark comes to bite. The majority of injurious incidents between bears and us have involved dogs.

I sit on the state’s Bear Technical Assistance Group, and Mike Orlando, the head of FWC’s Bear Program, has spoken multiple times at our Conservation Lecture Series. FWC Bear Biologist Chris Boyce and area experts speak at other zoo events. What I’ve learned is that bear conflict is usually predictable and often preventable. Unsecured trash, pet food left outside, grills, bird feeders: powerful attractants. Once a bear learns that a neighborhood equals calories, the outcome is rarely good.

In my own former neighborhood, I put my trash out in the morning, but that only goes so far when bears are learning from the whole street. The good news is you don’t need everyone. Once you get more than 60% of a neighborhood controlling their trash, bears usually stop coming.

That’s critical since Florida’s formerly threatened black bear population is recovering, and we live in one of the densest bear subpopulations in the state. Bears have a lot of green space, but we inadvertently give them offers they can’t refuse: that midnight trash buffet. For an animal that can smell food more than a mile away, sniffing out a couple slices of leftover pizza is easier than foraging for 750 acorns. And let’s not get started on donuts. ‘A fed bear is a dead bear’ is a gravely serious rhyme. Bears taught dangerous behavior by people can be slated for killing. It’s a really awful day for a biologist –and the worst one for a bear.

There’s also a financial angle. In one Florida case, an HOA faced a $5 million settlement after residents were not adequately warned about a known native wildlife hazard. HOA boards should understand that documented wildlife risks can carry real liability, and if insurance is insufficient or exclusions apply, residents may face special assessments.

Naples Zoo created www.floridabear.org with practical guidance on trash management, pet safety, and HOA liability including lawyer written boilerplates for immediate use. Follow the proven steps you’ll find there and report conflicts to FWC early, before bear behavior becomes harder to change.

In my circumstance that night, preparation got us out of it. But luck played a role too. A four-foot fence stopped the dog, but it doesn’t stop a bear that’s been drawn in by a whole neighborhood’s trash. The steps that keep bears from crossing that line aren’t just yours to take — they’re everyone’s. And with a few common-sense steps taken together, it usually goes the right way. For all of us, and for the bears.

Learn more at floridabear.org – To see the full schedule, visit NaplesZoo.org/speakers

Contact me at tim@napleszoo.org
To learn more or support these efforts, visit NaplesZoo.org/conserve

Tim L. Tetzlaff,
Director of Conservation,
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens

Together, we can create a brighter, more resilient future for people and wildlife

Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit caring for rare species and welcoming families in a century-old historic garden. Since 2015, the zoo has invested more than $4.5 million in saving plants and animals in the wild and fully supports 35 field conservation staff working in seven countries.

To learn more about how you can invest in a better future for people and wildlife, email tim@napleszoo.org.