A 400-pound black bear was killed after colliding with a vehicle on the morning of June 29 in Martin County, according to sheriff’s officials.
Sheriff’s deputies went to Southwest Martin Highway and Southwest Warfield Boulevard after a driver hit a black bear that ran into the roadway, according to officials.
The driver immediately stopped, remained with the bear and called the Sheriff’s Office, according to officials. The driver wasn’t injured.
The male bear, which weighed about 400 pounds, died on the scene, according to officials. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission removed the bear from the scene.
Bears in Florida
The Florida black bear is the only type of bear in the state, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It’s one of 16 subspecies of the American black bear.
The FWC estimates there are about 4,050 bears statewide. They are in areas from around Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle to Ocala National Forest in the central part of the state to Big Cypress National Preserve in southwest Florida.
The Florida black bear in 1974 was listed as a State Threatened Species across most of Florida, though it was taken off the State Threatened Species list in August 2012, according to FWC.
The biggest threats to bears involve “habitat loss and fragmentation, and human-bear conflicts including bears killed by vehicles on roadways,” the FWC stated.
Bears are particularly fast, able to run up to 35 mph and take just 30 seconds to climb 100 feet up a tree, according to the FWC.
Sheriff’s officials reminded drivers black bears and other wildlife are seen frequently along that stretch of roadway and throughout other rural areas of Martin County.
Laurie K. Blandford is a breaking news reporter with TCPalm. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vehicle crash kills 400-pound black bear in rural area of Florida
Reporting by Laurie K. Blandford and Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Laurie K. Blandford and Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
