Young black bear finally captured in Lake Eola Park, released back into the wild | Orlando Area News | Orlando

A black bear seen in Lake Eola Park several days running over the weekend has been safely captured and released.

State Rep. Anna V Eskamani said in a tweet on Tuesday night that the bear came down from a tree near World of Beer and was walking in and out of the traps set up by Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers.

The bear that Eskamani nicknamed “Blaze” was released to the Ocala National Forest later that same Tuesday night. She shared a video of the bear running off after the FWC opened the trap.

Not the best video quality but our little Lake Eola bear friend was released at Ocala National Forest last night! Look how fast Blaze ran! 🐻❤️

Thank you @MyFWC for all your work! pic.twitter.com/36CohHd7kJ

— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) June 7, 2023

The staff at FWC brought a cage to trap the bear on Sunday but were unsuccessful at the time. They monitored the bear for three days in Lake Eola, confirming in the process that it was a young dispersing bear.

“Juvenile bears are starting to disperse and leave their mother’s home range and may be seen in unexpected areas as they try to find a new home,” The FWC said in a statement. “Typically, these bears will move away on their own. If you see a bear, give it space, don’t try to approach it, and never feed it.”