SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Kristen Savage says she was walking her dog Friday night when she came face-to-face with a black bear.
Savage, who lives in the Markham Woods area, spoke to News 6 about the close encounter. She was almost back at her home when the bear approached her.
“I heard a bird. I was looking for a bird in a tree, and then I saw a black thing come at my leg,” said Savage. “I thought it was an off-leash dog at first, and then I realized it was a giant head.”
Savage said the bear went after her dog, Ringo, a 13-pound chihuahua mix.
[Watch dog owner give detailed bear encounter story in the video below ]
“I just pulled him away and eventually I had him hanging in the air, dangling around,” said Savage. “I had him up in the air like this and she would chase him, and I was spinning in a circle. I spun around so many times I fell, and that’s when I got my leg cut up pretty good.”
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Savage showed News 6 the abrasions on her legs that are still healing days later. She said thankfully, Ringo was OK.
The whole encounter was over within a few minutes after Savage said she tossed a bag of cookies she was holding in an effort to scare the bear away.
“My mom, she lives just down the street, and she had just stopped and handed me a bag of cookies for my kids. When I remembered I had them in my hand I took the bag and I whacked the bear across the face with it, and then I threw it,” said Savage. “She came forward and then she sniffed and she put her head down and sniffed the cookies and we ran to the front door.”
Savage’s doorbell security camera captured the moment she ran, and Ringo ran inside to safety. Her next-door neighbor’s own cameras showed the bear walking away shortly after.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was called out to the neighborhood and confirmed to News 6 that they received a report about a bear and its cubs nearby. They left the area and have not been reported to wildlife officers since.
A spokesperson with FWC says the agency has coordinated patrols of the area to identify potential attractants that could be secured or removed to help prevent future conflicts.
Savage says she was caught off guard and never saw the bear until it was too late.
“I don’t put blame on the bear. I’m sure she was just as scared as I was,” said Savage. “As a mom I would do whatever I could to protect my babies and I’m sure she was doing the same.”
Bears are often spotted in the area where Savage lives, near the woods. She shared videos of animals her family has seen in the past, including one instance when a bear was seen right at her front door.
“My brain was working the whole time like, ‘yeah, I’ll get big.’ When I fell to the ground, I just blacked out,” said Savage. “From now on, I will always carry something. An air horn, whistle, something that can scare her off.”
FWC says the number of bear interactions is actually decreasing in Seminole County, where there were 308 calls last year. At a meeting last month, FWC bear management coordinator Mike Orlando told commissioners that community efforts are getting results.
“Seminole County is the number eight county with only 308 calls,” said FWC bear management coordinator Michael Orlando. “So you guys were getting 600-700 calls coming from Seminole County 10 years ago. Since we’ve done all the work, and really, you guys lifted the hard lift of getting ordinances in place and getting money for garbage cans and dumpsters, it has obviously paid off.”
During the spring, FWC says black bears are more active in Florida. You can read more information below:
To reduce human-bear conflicts, the FWC’s Bear Management Program recommends removing or securing all food attractants from around your house and yard, including garbage, pet food and bird seed. If a bear is not able to find food, it will move on. Feeding bears can make them lose their natural fear of people. Dogs can trigger defensive behaviors from bears, including female bears with cubs. To avoid an encounter between a bear and your dog, bang on your door and flip your house lights on and off to give the bear and other wildlife time to leave the area before letting your dog out. If you do not have a fenced yard, keep your dog on a short non-retractable leash when taking them outside. If your dog and a bear get into a fight, make noise and use bear spray or a water hose to break them up if available. If the bear makes contact with you, fight back aggressively.
To learn more about bears and how to avoid conflicts with them, visit this FWC page, or click here for the BearWife program.
Please contact the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) if you feel threatened by a bear; observe a sick, injured, dead or orphaned bear; or to report someone who is either harming bears or intentionally feeding them.
Here are some other BearWise® Basics to keep in mind:
- Never feed or approach bears
- Remove bird feeders when bears are active
- Feed your pets inside if possible and never leave pet food outdoors
- Clean and store your grills and smokers
- Secure food, garbage and recycling
- Alert your neighbors to bear activity in the area
Live in bear country? Follow this at-home checklist. And remember, a screened-in porch or deck counts as “outside” to a hungry black bear.
Black bears are generally not aggressive, but they have injured people in Florida.
Dogs, in particular, can trigger defensive behaviors from bears, especially females with cubs. When walking dogs, keep them close to you on a short leash and stay aware of your surroundings. Before letting your dog outside in your yard, flip exterior lights on and off and bang on the door to give bears and other wildlife a chance to leave the area.