SANFORD, Fla. (AP) – Wildlife officials are investigating after a black bear was found dead in a central Florida neighborhood.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that a passerby first spotted the bear early Wednesday morning near Sanford, just west of Interstate 4.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers responded and determined the 6-year-old female bear might have been shot, likely in the area. Officers collected the bear’s carcass, and a necropsy will determine an official cause of death.
Killing or harming a bear in Florida is illegal without a permit and outside of a bear hunting season. The state’s only bear hunting season in the past two decades was in 2015.
An FWC spokesman says the person who killed the bear could face a fine or jail time.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON-
- AMBER ALERT: Pharmacies asked to look out for missing teen and accused kidnapper
- Find out how your home’s value compares to your neighbor’s in Tampa Bay
- Troopers: Tow truck worker falls to death from I-95 overpass
- Man in custody after fleeing, swimming away from Pasco County deputies
- Massage parlor busted after hundreds of condoms clog pipes
- Disney in Orlando looking to fill more than 1,000 jobs
- Baby giraffe facts: What to expect after April’s baby is born