- Florida deputy encounters two bear cubs that traveled over 3,600 miles from Alaska to Florida.
- Video footage shows the friendly bears approaching the deputy and climbing on cars.
- Bears escaped from an inadequate enclosure and were safely transported to a secure location by Florida Fish and Wildlife.
Additional Coverage:
A Florida deputy encountered an unusual sight while responding to a call in Baker County. The man who made the call reported seeing two bear cubs on the side of the road that didn’t resemble the native black bears in the area. When the deputy arrived, she found the man and the curious bear cubs ready to explore. The man assured the deputy that the bears were friendly and eager to investigate their surroundings.
Video footage captured by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office shows the encounter between the bears, the deputy, and the man. The bears can be seen approaching them and even climbing on their cars. Both the deputy and the man believed that these bears were either brown bears or grizzlies. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they were Kodiak cubs, a unique subspecies native to Alaska. It was quite a distance from home for these bears, who had traveled approximately 3,614 miles to end up in Florida.
The deputy reached out to Florida Fish and Wildlife, who safely transported the cubs to a secure location. Meanwhile, an investigation was launched to determine how the cubs ended up in Florida. The sheriff’s office chose not to release the video of the encounter until the investigation was completed. It was eventually discovered that the bears had escaped from an inadequate enclosure at a residence where a self-proclaimed bear trainer lived. The individual responsible for the escape now faces various wildlife violations.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Kodiak bears are exclusive to the Kodiak Archipelago in Alaska and have been isolated from other bears for over a thousand years. There are approximately 3,500 Kodiak bears in the area, and they are larger than brown or grizzly bears. Male Kodiak bears can reach heights of over 10 feet when standing on their hind legs.