Black bear spotted in Carrollwood for 5th time in five days
CARROLLWOOD, Fla. - Neighbors in the Carrollwood area of Tampa are on the lookout for a black bear following the fifth sighting in the last five days.
The bear was most recently spotted at a lake in the Turner Trace townhome complex off Turner Road.
"It's probably the most insane wildlife I've seen around here," said Marc Iurato, who was walking his dog at around 8 p.m. Tuesday and recorded video of the bear. "So he just came down from the woods and then took a drink of water from the lake for a few minutes and then walked right back into the woods."
A new video shared with FOX 13 from a home on Knoll Ridge Drive in the Carrollwood Meadows community showed the bear strolling across a front yard Monday. That was the third time the bear was spotted that day on the same street.
RELATED: Black bear caught on camera wandering through Carrollwood, Lutz neighborhoods
A black bear has been spotted five times since Saturday when security camera video from a homeowner in Lutz recorded the animal walking through the porch.
"He's probably just trying to find food, or you know what I mean? I don't know. He's right now. He's harmless," said Kirby Lavallee, who shared the video with FOX 13, adding he thought to check his security camera video when he noticed his bird feeder and trash can had been knocked over. "We've seen wildlife, bobcats, all different types of large creatures, hogs, and everything else. But never have I thought I would see a black bear."
Footage from a nearby Ring doorbell camera showed the black bear in Carrollwood neighborhood earlier this week.
Florida Fish and Wildlife still are not planning on trapping it. Michael Orlando, FWC's Bear Program Coordinator, told FOX 13 the bear is likely one and a half to two years old. He said it's not uncommon for bears to show up in residential areas this time of year, especially juvenile bears that are starting to leave their mother's home area.
FWC said it prefers to allow the animals to find their way to a new home independently.
READ: Watch: Curious black bear breaks into truck in Colorado, steals bag
"We try to let them make their way and realize this isn't a place that they want to be," Orlando said. "They usually do it dead in the middle of the night, which is why we get a lot of ring doorbell cameras that like one or two or 3:00 in the morning."
State wildlife experts believe this bear likely traveled from Ocala or Green Swamp, where there are larger bear populations. They're urging homeowners in the Carrollwood area to keep an eye out for the animal, not approach it, and ensure food sources aren't easily accessible.