Black Bear in the Village of Winifred
 

I've been slow in posting this. I wanted to see if someone else would as I we received a few e-mails on this bear.

About 3.5 weeks ago a big black bear was in a street checking out garbage bags. It was in Winifred in the early morning.
Shirley Czapla(sp) got a real good picture and it has been circulating in an e-mail. Sorry I don't know how to post the picture.
Guess black bears are becoming more common.

.......

So MAYBE I am NOT nuts..............

About 6 weeks ago...while driving by the North end of PALMER Golf Course
on Buena Vista.....I was sure I saw a Black Bear...ON the Course....
....and I don't even drink...

Not real big...Maybe 200 or 250 pounds (but the fur makes them look huge)

This was about 10:30 at night.

Bears, oh no. I think that is BIG. Bigger than TED. Did this bear cuss?

Great
 

Gators, Snakes Rats and now Black Bears? Yea!

I also received an email photo of the bear. I also do not know how to share it here.

Help! Skyguy, bill n brillo, anybody!?!?

With the amount of Cougars in TV, the bears existence may be short lived.

There are cougars in TV?

I think he means human cougars LOL

There are also vultures here, those are the ones still young enough to hunt but to old to bring their pray down. :a20:

That's funny. On a more serious note, I am fairly close to Winifred. The bear must be using the golf courses to travel down the Villages. Cannot think of where the bear might be coming from though. There are black bears in the Ocala National Forest but where else close by has them?? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocala_National_Forest

I hope someone does not take it upon himself to kill that creature. If you see it. Please call the wildlife authorities.

Maybe Gracie and her girl posse will go after the bear with their Super-Soakers. :crap2:

problem is we have to put out the garbage early so gives him a reason to stay

Hope the bear stays out of the roundabouts and golf cart paths or he's toast.

:eek::eek::eek:

He's probably out looking for an attic.

Regardless, this situation bears watching.

Gurr... I prepared a post to answer this question and just discovered that I forgot to post after doing a test. Anyway, here's instructions for posting pictures:

Talk of The Villages - FAQ: Reading and Posting Messages

p.s. Bill must be on a hiatus or I would have never beat him to an answer! :p

Best thing to do is to grin and bear it.

Bear with us with these puns.

:jester: :pepper2::pepper2:These puns are becoming unbearable

Lions and tigers and bears . Lions and tigers and bears. I don't like the fact that I have to deal with geckos on my lanai.....snakes, rats lizards coyotes, curgars, bears bad drivers,errant golf balls what's a fellow to do woo is me woo is me ......cold snow and high taxes not looking so bad Minneapolis

By George- I mean, By Skyguy!- I think I got it.

The following is the body of the email mesage from the original source who emailed it to the person who emailed it out to the basketball league members.

At long last, here is the picture of the black bear that appeared in our Village of Winifred about 3.5 weeks ago. The picture was taken by our next door neighbor, Shirley Czapla(polish). It occurred on a garbage morning at about 6:30. Notice it is daylight outside. That dumpster was about 6-7 ft tall, and therefore the bear was about 5-6 ft. tall. Later, Jim
In God We Trust.
Jean & Jim Thomson



Now about those puns:

Mulligan, I got it! Clever and funny!!

And Gracie and Posh08: Evidently TV's newest furry resident heard about your wager and was looking to join the fun bc for him/her running "bear" through a square comes naturally.

It's a jungle out there!
 

Yep, that's a black bear all right. They're like gators, just don't feed them and they'll leave you alone. He's probably at home as that's where he used to live before the folks on that street moved him out in his trail of tears. He just came back to visit his old homeplace. Wonder where the rest of his family is? Maybe the Morse's freezer! :laugh:
They're somewhat docile but very, very smart. Keep a good eye out, Gracie and Rubicon! :laugh:

Thanks for the picture.

I wonder what Barefoot has to say about all this? :laugh:

Patrick F McManus' The Bear in the Attic??
 

I think milligan is writing about jimbo's picture of an actual bear in the attic.
Jimbo, how about reposting that picture here?

I was thinking that mulli's quip was in reference to the recent "how much weight does an attic bear?' thread and comments, which included the bear in the attic photo, yes?

Yes, that's what I'm referring to.

Bear in attic
 

Found Jimbo's picture:

PLEASE, don't hurt this bear. He's only looking to find food and survive. I pray he leaves on his own or that he's safely captured and relocated.

Wow! But I just gotta ask ............. why is there a dumpster and a porta-potty there?

I also noted that the bear is roaming around on a trash day. Easy to find something to eat, I presume. Has anyone had their bags torn apart?

Don & Kaz

If he was last seen 3.5 weeks ago, and no one else on TOTV has posted about it since then, he is probably out of the Villages.

That's It!!!

Maybe the Winnifred bear is looking for the Attic bear for the purpose of going on many meaningful picnics, with the ultimate intention of establishing a long-term exclusive commitment, at which time they will break out the fine china. It would make for a kod(i)ak moment.

Do Florida bears hibernate?

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website:

Do Florida black bears hibernate? When are bears active? How long do bears hibernate?

In Florida, males and female bears that are not pregnant may den up in dense vegetation for only a few weeks or a month during the winter. Pregnant females will den up for the entire winter, and because their cubs are born in the den, they often select more protected sites. Black bear dens may be found in tree cavities, under blow-downs or fallen logs, or as ground nests in dense thickets.

Litters range from 1 to 5 cubs, but 2 or 3 are most common.

Bears can be active throughout the day depending upon the season, food resources and environment. Bears are generally more active at dusk, through the night and into dawn hours. For more "bear facts" go to The Florida Black Bear.

Interesting, I was told up north not to worry about bears in the winter, guess in Fl you do have to.

That's a very good website. Be sure to view the bear video near the bottom.

No, you do not have to "worry" about bears in Florida. The Villages covers many, many square miles and has a lot of natural conservation areas. There are animals, reptiles, and birds that live in those natural spaces year round and you never see them. Once in a while, they do come out usually at night on the golf courses or across a road, to move around to new territory.

It is nothing to "worry" about. You will not find a bear in your patio or at your front door. You will find a pack of cougars at Katie Belle's on a regular basis.