, Fla. — Neighbors in one Deland community say they’re terrified of a bear that just won’t stay away. Since September, the bear has been spotted multiple times in their backyards, climbing over fences, and even walking down the street
Deland homeowner David Stojanovic has spent about $3,000 trying to keep the bear away from his property off Pine Tree Road. He is now begging the state’s Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for help.
“I’m scared. You just don’t know what’s gonna happen, “said Stojanovic, who has been afraid to let his dog Basil out in his yard and even keeps his 9-year-old grandson inside the home to avoid possible unwanted encounters.
Stojanovic told Channel 9 that he had installed a motion-activated alarm deterrent, which worked twice to scare the bear away before it grew accustomed to the alarm. It now serves as a 90-second warning to his family to get inside the home.
“I feel helpless. It’s a big bear. and I’m not a hunter,” said Stojanovic, “I do have firearms, but I’m not gonna carry a loaded gun around with me in my backyard.”
Stojanovic said he’s had to replace the fence around his home after the bear climbed over it and caused damage. He’s also spent thousands on perimeter lights for his property, surveillance cameras, and other deterrents.
He’s removed bird feeders, keeps his trash inside the home, and is careful not to leave food near his property.
“I don’t blame the bear. He’s probably just trying to get something to eat. Looking for a shortcut… but there’s nothing for him here,” Stojanovic said.
Stojanovic said when none of those deterrents worked, he contacted FWC directly. He told Channel 9 that someone from the agency had left flyers at his door, but he had already taken all the steps the FWC had suggested to keep the bear away. He said he’d been trying to contact the agency to figure out what else he could do to protect his family, but hadn’t heard back.
When Channel 9 contacted FWC on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the agency said they recently canvassed the area and found a trash trail in the nearby woods, which may be why the bear keeps cutting through Stojanovic’s home.
The spokesperson said someone with the agency’s bear management team would be contacting Stojanovic to schedule a future site visit after the Thanksgiving holiday.
See FWC’s full statement below:
“FWC staff have been in connection with a resident in this neighborhood experiencing fence damage from a bear and have provided technical assistance on ways to prevent further conflicts; from our understanding, the resident has tried using a motion-activated alarm deterrent near the fence that has not yet been unsuccessful – the bear seems to be traveling from another yard and joined fence that has prevented activation of the alarm. FWC staff have canvassed the neighborhood to provide guidance and technical assistance to residents on best practices to prevent conflicts with bears and identify potential bear attractants; there appears to be a significant trash trail in the woods nearby, which may be a persistent attractant for bears in the area. Our Bear Management staff will be contacting the resident experiencing fence damage for a future site visit and will continue to monitor and provide technical assistance to residents.
The FWC responds to human-bear conflicts based on the specific circumstances of each situation. When bears are observed in neighborhoods, they are either passing through to get from one forested area to another or locating easily accessible food sources like unsecured garbage, pet food, or bird seed. In situations where bears are attracted to food sources, relocating the bear will not resolve the conflict because another bear (and/or other wildlife) will likely be attracted to those same food sources. Additionally, relocated bears often try to return to their original location, particularly if attractants remain unsecured. Instead, we work with the residents to help them secure items that attract bears. The FWC will attempt to capture and humanely kill any bear that shows signs it may be a risk to public safety.
For residents experiencing conflicts with bears, FWC Bear Management staff are here to help – people can call their FWC regional office for more assistance: https://myfwc.com/contact/fwc-office/regional-offices/ .
If you feel threatened by a bear, spot an injured, orphaned or dead bear, or to report someone harming or intentionally feeding bears, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
To learn more about bears and how to avoid conflicts with them, we invite people to visit MyFWC.com/Bear and BearWise.org. ”
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