Black bear breaks into man's screened porch twice in past week

LAKE MARY, Fla. — A Lake Mary homeowner said a black bear has paid surprise visits to his house twice in the past week.

The homeowner said that seeing the size of the animal and knowing about the recent bear attack in Longwood has him nervous. He said he plans to get help from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, before the bear decides to move in.

Tramaine Gaines took video of the bear breaking in through his screened-in patio.

Gaines said he was in his kitchen, only a few feet away, when he noticed something moving on his porch.

"I look to my right and to my disbelief, I see two eyes looking at me in the darkness and the bear was actually on his way back in," said Gaines.
   
Gaines said that Thursday he left some used cooking oil on the patio and the bear smelled it and smashed thru the screen, to investigate. But he said he didn't make that mistake again.

"This time there was no food, no food outside, I pulled everything in," said Gaines. "I thought it might be a different bear, and I was like, 'No way another bear would know exactly where to come back to and that the screen was already broken.'"

Gaines said he believes the bear lives at a nearby nature preserve and that each night it comes out of the woods looking for food.

Gaines believes that the bear realizes his porch is a place where food might be found, and that the bear could return.   

"The first time was really funny. This time I'm a little more concerned," said Gaines. "I still don't want anything done to the bear. I just have to hurry up and get this (porch screen) fixed, and put up a barrier so he can't continue to come back and check it out."

A representative from FFW told Channel 9's Myrt Price that wildlife officers need to visit Gaines' home and investigate before offering him any tips on how to keep the bear away.

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