Wildlife officials rely on donuts for statewide bear survey In an effort to better manage Florida's black bear population, wildlife biologists are preparing to do a statewide bear survey. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WEBVTT IN AN EFFORT TO BETTER MANAGER OUR STATE'S BLACK BEAR POPULATION WILD LIFE BUY OL JITSS PREPARING TO DO A BEAR SURVEY. THEY'RE SETTING UP AREAS TO ATTRACT BEARS SO THEY CAN BE COUNTED WITH A UNIQUE METHOD. STATE WILDLIFE OFFICIALS PLAN TO SET UP BEAR COUNTING STATIONS SOME DISTANCE FROM ANY NEIGHBORHOOD AND PLAN TO SURROUND THE STATIONS WITH BARBED WIRE THEN THEY'RE GOING PUT BAIT IN THEM. DONUTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A BLACK BEAR FAVORITE. WE'RE HOPING TO PROVE OUR HIGH POTSDZ CYST THAT -- HYPOTHESIS THAT BEAR POPULATION HAS GREATLY INSGLEESD THE BEAR ESTIMATE IS 3,000 STATE-WIDE BUT THAT NUMBER IS 12 YEARS OLD. AND WITH NUISANCE CALLS UP, BIOLOGISTS SAY THE NUMBERS ARE OUTDATEED. THE FREQUENCY OF PHONE CALLS, SIGHTINGS, WE FEEL AS IF THERE ARE A LOT MORE. TO PROVE THEIR POINT THEY'RE BUILDING COUNTING STATIONS. THE BEAR SQUEEZES BETWEEN THE TWO STRANDS OF BARBED WIRE TO GET A TASTY TREAT AND THE HAIR LEFT ON THE FENCE WILL BE DNA TESTED SO THEY KNOW IF A LOT OF HAIR MEANS A LOT OF BEARS OR IF ONE BEAR KEEPS COMING BACK. THE STATE INSISTS THE BEARS WILL NOT BE HARMED. IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY TO THEM. THEY GO THROUGH THERE. IT PULLS A LITTLE BIT OFF AND THAT'S IT. THE TWO VIOLENT BEAR ENCOUNTERS IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS IN SEMINOLE COUNTY HAVE SHINED THE LIGHT ON HUMAN AND BEAR INTERACTIONS AND AS EXPERTS WORK TO BETTER MANAGE THE POPULATION, KNOWING THE NUMBER OF BEARS WILL HELP. THEY CAN ALSO FIGURE OUT BEAR DENSITY IN CERTAIN REGIONS SO THEY DON'T RELOCATE BEARS TO HIGHLY POPULATED PLACES PERHAPS SHOVING BEARS BACK INTO NEIGHBORHOODS. WE WANT TO KNOW THE AREAS WE ARE RELOCATING BEARS TO THAT WE'RE NOT OVERSATURATEING THE AREA. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE'S CAPACITY LEFT. THE STUDY RESULTS WON'T BE READY FOR ABOUT A YEAR. IN ANYBODY OUT FOR A HIKE COMES ACROSS A COUNTING STATION AND YOU SEE THE BARBED WIRE AND THE DONUTS THE STATE ASK YOU TO STAY CLEAR.

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