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SANFORD, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Several bear sightings in a Sanford neighborhood have residents on edge. Pam Kaushagen says she got an unexpected visit Wednesday.
“I got a text from my neighbor at about noon today and she said, ‘Somebody stopped me, and said that there was a bear in your garage,’” she explained.
Kaushagen says she looked out the window of her Seminole County home and there it was. The bear’s rear end was sticking out from behind her car.
“I had no idea what to do so I called my husband,” she said. “He said to open the door and yell at him. I’m like, ‘I’m not opening the door!’”
She says the bear spent at least 17 minutes feet away from her front door before finally wandering off. The animal left a mess – backpacks with snacks inside were torn open and a regular garbage can was tipped over.
Just days ago, there was another bear break-in in the same Sanford community.
FOX 35 News anchor Amy Kaufeldt says a bear knocked her bear-proof trash car over, breaking the lock.
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials say they’ve gotten a few reports about sightings. One involved other bear-proof trash cans that were broken into on the curb. They sent a biologist to the neighborhood, who writes in a report that he advises people to make sure the trash cans are locked properly.