Video: Black bear spotted roaming around in Palatka

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – An outdoor camera caught a black bear roaming around a Palatka home off State Road 19 late Tuesday night.

The camera alerted the homeowners around midnight that they had a visitor.

The homeowner said their Putnam County home is in a wooded area with lakes nearby.

“He was on the north side of my house heading towards a large subdivision that backs up to my property,” the homeowner said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says the warmer spring weather means bears are becoming more active. That means they’re more likely to have negative interactions with people.

Related: Reduce conflicts with bears: How to be BearWise this spring | Woman walking dog attacked by bear in Volusia County, FWC says

They’re searching for things to eat and female bears are traveling with their cubs and teaching them where to find food. It shouldn’t be in your backyard!

“Bears will take advantage of easy meals, such as unsecured garbage, pet food or birdseed,” said the FWC’s Bear Management Program Coordinator, David Telesco. “If bears don’t find a food source in the neighborhood, they’ll move on.”

Follow the six BearWise Basics to avoid attracting bears to your neighborhood and help prevent conflicts.

Having conflicts with bears? Call one of the FWC’s five regional offices. Go to MyFWC.com/Contact, and click on “Contact Regional Offices” to find the phone number for your region. If you want to report someone who is either harming bears or intentionally feeding them, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).