Far From Home: Kodiak Bear Cubs Found Wandering Florida
By Ward Clark | 3:20 PM on February 01, 2024
 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks via AP, File
We're pretty proud of our bears here in the Great Land. We're the only state that boasts three species of bear, those being the black bear (Ursus americanus), the grizzly/brown bear (Ursus arctos), and the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). In fact, Kodiak Island, to the south of mainland Alaska, brags some of the biggest bears in the world, those being a subspecies of the grizzly/brown, known as the Kodiak bear, Ursus arctos middendorffi. These bad boys can be up to ten feet tall when standing upright, and the biggest ones known weighed upward of a ton.
So imagine our surprise when a pair of Kodiak cubs were found wandering loose in Florida.
Two Kodiak bear cubs native to southern Alaska were found wandering on a rural Florida roadway, and the incident was captured on an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy’s body camera.
A local resident alerted authorities to the sighting on Dec. 5 and said it was a sight he had never seen before.
Their size and color were two indications that they weren’t dealing with a species native to Florida, but there remained many questions as to where the duo came from.
The pair appeared healthy and even tried to climb into a responding patrol car.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation confirmed the resident’s initial theory – the bears weren’t from Florida; they were actually Kodiak cubs from southern Alaska.
The bears were evidently escapees from some kind of unregistered exotic animal facility. At least they appeared to be sober.
See Related: Montana Grizzlies Are Getting Drunk, Passing Out, and Being Hit by Trains
These bears are notably unsuited for life in Florida, especially in suburban environments, where it may not be safe for them to wander about bearfoot. The fact that the bears tried to climb into a patrol car would indicate that they are accustomed to people and have been in captivity for some time, as they seemed willing to go as fur as possible in the vehicle. The cubs' beartender was not available for comment. It's also possible that these cubs may have been the vanguard of some planned incursion of car-sized bruins into the Sunshine State, making them, in effect, cub scouts.
The bears will, it seems, be transported back to the Great Land.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game told the sheriff’s office that there are only about 3,500 Kodiak bears in existence and are subspecies of the more well-known brown and grizzly bears.
It remains unclear how someone was able to get the bears to Florida or when they’ll be transported back to The Last Frontier.
This event paints a vivid pawtrait as to why people shouldn't take wild animals from their proper environment. While these bears are evidently being returned to their proper home, they will probably have to remain in captivity. Learning to live in the wild is challenging for apex predators; A lot of the young of not only bears but animals like mountain lions and wolves don't survive their first year. Fortunately, there are places like the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center that can care for the beasts.
All kidding aside, this is why people should leave wildlife alone. These bears were, somehow, taken far from their natural habitat to a place they are ill-suited for, and while information is sketchy, they were likely in the hands of someone who didn't know how to properly care for and handle an apex predator that will grow to weigh a ton and stand ten feet tall. Fortunately, these cubs have been found and will be returned to where they belong.
Ward Clark hails from Alaska’s Susitna Valley, where he maintains his rural household in one of America’s last free places. Ward is a twelve-year veteran of the U.S. Army including service in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Joint Endeavor, and today is a staunch minarchist libertarian, along with being an author, novelist, self-employed small businessman, woods bum, and semi-professional bad influence. You can see some of Ward's fiction writing here.
Follow Ward on Twitter at @TheGreatLander. |
