JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Florida Fish and Wildlife officers are asking neighbors from Orange Park to Jacksonville's Westside be on the lookout for a 200-pound black bear that may have been injured trying to cross Timuquana Road.

Monday night, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department received a call that a bear had been struck by a car.

The bear was found bleeding up in a tree in a shopping center parking lot.

"You're saying that there was a black bear in my parking lot last night," said Carolina Allmond, who owns a business near where the bear was sighted. "I can't imagine where."

The bear sighting was a shock to the people in the area.

Florida Fish and Wildlife spent the night with the uninvited guest. They said the bear was only slightly injured and has since moved away from the area.

Bear sightings are nothing new in Florida. Ocala is the bear capital of the state.

Just two weeks ago, a Putnam County woman e-mailed pictures of a bear that was eating garbage in her back yard.

Bears are typically very hungry, and they will stay where food is. They are very attracted to trash cans outside houses or open Dumpsters near businesses.

"It's wild," said Angel Reyes, who said the bear was seen in his parking lot. "You don't expect to hear about that here in town, in a residential or commercial area like that."

"This is a very populated area, and I didn't think there were any wild animals other than stray cats or dogs."

Wildlife experts said bears are not aggressive and just want to be left alone. When it comes to bears, most people just want to be left alone, too.

The FWC reminded people in these areas to not leave out garbage cans or pet food.

If you see a bear in your neighborhood, call the Wildlife Alert hot line at 888-404-3922.