A vehicle struck and killed a massive, 400-pound black bear near the shores of Lake Okeechobee in rural Martin County early Monday.
According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the driver reported that the adult male bear ran directly into traffic along Martin Highway near Southwest Warfield Boulevard around the morning commuter hours. While the motorist was uninjured, the bear died at the scene and was removed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
FWC Bear Program Coordinator Michael Orlando said the animal was likely in the middle of “dispersing,” a natural behavior where young or subadult males travel 50 to 100 miles to establish their own territory far from their mothers…