Philippe Park reopened Thursday at noon after Pinellas County officials report the black bear first spotted by a ranger on Tuesday is no longer in the area.
According to a press release, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received two verified sightings of the previously-spotted bear "several miles away" from the park.
FWC confirms the sightings, saying the bear was observed to be "moving in the direction of a more suitable habitat."
Bear sightings during this time of the year are not uncommon, according to the FWC. It adds that young bears are leaving their family unit to look to establish an area of their own. The transient bears involved are usually around 18 months old and weigh around 150 pounds, FWC says.
"The bears have just become independent from their mothers and as they look for a new place to live and how to handle life on their own, they can end up in areas they shouldn’t be," an FWC spokesperson wrote in an email.
FWC believes this bear was first spotted in Hernando County, then traveled to Pasco County. Just this week, the bear was spotted in a Palm Harbor Community before making its way into Philippe Park.
If you do encounter a bear at close range, the FWC says you should not run. Instead, you will need to stay upright, speak to the bear in a calm and assertive voice and slowly back away while leaving the bear with an escape route.
More information about the Florida black bear can be found here.
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