Villager Janie Griffin was having her morning coffee on the lanai when she looked up and spotted a bear in her backyard.
She hade been quietly working a crossword puzzle at about 11 a.m. when she saw the bear helping himself to a drink of water.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I panicked,” she said.
She quickly called her neighbor who had been working in his yard. Then she dialed 911.
She moved into the Village of Tamarind Grove 14 years ago from Holly Springs, N.C.
“I have seen Bobcats in the back a couple of times, but definitely no bears,” she said.
By the time the bear made it to Griffin’s backyard, he’d already had a busy morning.
He was originally sighted at about 6:45 a.m. at the garden center at Lowe’s at Trailwinds Plaza in Wildwood. Officers from the Wildwood Police Department summoned the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The black bear was described as being only 80 to 100 pounds.
Apparently feeling the pressure, the bear escaped a fence at Lowe’s and headed for the nearby Publix.
The elusive critter continued to be on the move with the next sighting near the Tamarind Grove pool, which is only a short distance from Lowe’s. The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office had a reported sighting on Hopespring Loop and used its social media to warn residents of the bear’s possible presence. Community Watch was on patrol, looking for the bear in that area.
Thus far, he has eluded his potential captors.
A 100-pound Florida black bear would likely be a young bear, potentially a cub or juvenile, as adult Florida black bears typically weigh between 250 and 450 pounds for males and 125 to 250 pounds for females, according to the FWC.