Have you seen Oakland's bear?

Jeff and Maureen Jacobson returned home from an outing Saturday, Feb. 1, and found an unwelcome visitor in their backyard: a big black bear. It had yanked open their locked gate and killed one hen, Ellie Mae Clampet, and injured another. Escaping unharmed were Nixon, a blind peacock; Sonny the rooster; and the baby chicks.

Maureen Jacobson is an animal advocate who cares for injured creatures in the area. She said this isn’t the first time a black bear has been spotted in her neighborhood.

“We’ve seen them in the past but didn’t fear them,” she said. “This one is much more dangerous. It pulled open my padlocked gate (didn’t even read my no trespassing sign) and let itself into my backyard.”

A black bear reported around the town of Oakland last week likely was foraging for a snack, but it left a path of destruction, knocking over garbage cans and fences along the way.

On the We Are Winter Garden Facebook page, residents were sharing their bear stories, from Southern Oaks to Hull Island. It was captured on security cameras on Vandermeer Street, on Oakland Avenue, at Briley Avenue and Nixon Street and in the west end of town. It was spotted in the nearby neighborhood of Lakeview Reserve as well.

The security camera at the back of Joe and Annie Williams’ property also captured the bear. Joe Williams went outside with a siren that scared off the bear, sending it clambering over the fence, knocking out a few panels and breaking a fence light. Their chickens escaped harm because they were in a secure coop.

“The best thing we can do is become better educated on how to cohabitate with them and other wildlife in our area,” Maureen Jacobson said. “It is destroying property … and pets. It’s only a matter of time when a human will be attacked.”

Nicole O’Brien, director of the Oakland Nature Preserve, said the bear had not been observed on any of the trail cameras.

“It is typical for them to roam in search of food, and if they find easy sources — trash, bird feeders, etc. — they will stick around an area for a while but will move on if they have to keep searching,” O’Brien said.

She is working on a bear information program for town residents, but it’s still in the discussion stages. ONP is coordinating the program with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Maureen Jacobson attended last week’s Meet with the Mayor event, held in conjunction with town staff and Police Chief Darron Esan, and she asked if someone could hold an educational class to learn to live with displaced animals. The town and police department liked the idea and will try to set something up.

ONP asked residents to be Bear Aware: “Remember, a fed bear is a dead bear!”

“It is really important to not let bears have access and conditioned to easy food sources such as pet foods, garbage, barbecue grills and bird seed,” ONP shared in a Facebook post. “As bears become ‘food-conditioned,’ they are more likely to frequent residential areas and cause property damage to get these unnatural food sources.

“Please secure all trash in your garage or shed, and remember, put out trash the morning of pickup rather than the night before.

“While there has never been a black bear attack resulting in a fatality on a human in Florida, we would like to take this opportunity to remind people to be Bear Aware while continuing to enjoy the trails in and around the area, keep pets leashed and under direct supervision, especially in the early morning and as sunset approaches,” ONP posted. “Thank you for helping keep this bear and other critters safe!”

FWC offered several bear-related suggestions for cohabitating with the animals and keeping people and pets safe.

Store pet and wildlife food sources in a garage or shed.

“Bears that obtain human-sourced food can lose their natural fear of people and potentially become a public safety threat that may require trapping and killing,” according to FWC. “Relocating the bear is not a permanent solution, as another bear will find unsecured attractants.”

Bears typically are not interested in pets as prey, FWC said. Most pet-bear encounters occur when pets defend their owners, they are left unattended in a fenced yard or they are free roaming. If pets give chase to bears, bears will defend themselves and their young.

Bears generally avoid people and can be scared off by using sudden loud noises.

Livestock is attractive to Florida’s wild predators, including bears. Appropriate enclosures, safety precautions and proper feed security will keep your investment safe from loss due to wildlife.

Instead of installing feeders, consider creating food plots for wildlife.

“Florida has an established bear population,” FWC officials said. “Our goal is to help alleviate human-bear conflicts and help residents live in unison with the growing human and Florida black bear population. We appreciate your cooperation and initiative in working toward an acceptable solution.”