‘Stressed’ bear attracts unwanted attention in Florida, Police asks people to not take selfies

At a time when happy animal videos are trending on social media, a large male bear in Santa Rosa Beach in Florida has gained attention for showing signs of “severe stress”, prompting police to urge people to stop taking selfies with the animal.

Crowds of onlookers gathered to take photos of the “depressed” bear spotted loitering morosely by the roadside. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office urged people not to take selfies with the “stressed” animal.

“Onlookers were trying to take selfies with the bear, and the bear is clearly not in the mood for pictures. The bear has shown signs of severe stress,” the Sheriff’s Office stated in a now-deleted Facebook post.

The Guardian reported that after the Sheriff’s Office noted the crowds, rangers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) arrived to assess the bear’s condition. By the time FWC officers and biologists arrived, the black bear had walked into the adjacent woods. However, based on images, the FWC concluded that the bear might have been resting.

“The bear did not appear to be injured. It may have just been overheated and was resting before moving on,” an FWC spokesperson said, as quoted by The Guardian.

The FWC spokesperson emphasised that crowding around any bear is “never recommended” and that bears need as much space as possible.

Black bears are a common sight in Florida during Spring and Summers when juvenile males separate from their mothers and find new habitats.