Bear in a tree in Winter Haven

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - It is a waiting game for a Winter Haven neighborhood.

Residents are wondering when their surprise guest is going to come down from the tree it has been snuggling in all day.

On Monday morning, a Florida Black Bear was spotted in an area off Lake Elbert.

“My wife stepped out to get the dog and bring it in, and the bear was walking right here along the bushes,” said Brad Mc Card. “(It) had it nose in the bushes sniffing around.”

When Winter Haven Police and Florida Fish and Wildlife staffers tried to catch the bear, it scrambled up a tree in Rebecca Heintz backyard.

“It makes me nervous, “ she told FOX 13. “When you have a wild animal in your backyard. You don’t know what it is going to do.”

Biologists suspect it’s a juvenile male because males are more likely to travel than females.

Biologists say this time of year, it is not unusual for bears to wander. Mother bears are sending juveniles to fend for themselves so they can make room for a new batch of cubs.

Fish and Wildlife officials tried to lure the bear down by putting donuts in a cage, but the bear didn’t go for it. They didn’t want to tranquilize the animal because it could possibly get hurt in the fall, especially because the bear could have fallen on a nearby fence.

They hope the bear comes down on its own overnight so they can take measurements and re-locate it in the woods.