Local

Black bear leaves tree in Holly Hill for second time

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A black bear has escaped a second tree in Holly Hill.

Terrie Turpin, a Channel 9 viewer, sent Eyewitness News a photo of the bear in the first tree in the Winn Dixie shopping plaza off Nova Road, officials said.

The bear left the tree around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, but then ran up a second tree. He eventually left that tree around 5:30 p.m. and ran into the woods.

Officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission originally said the bear was too high in the tree for them to do anything about it. They said that if they had tranquilized the bear, it would have been hurt in the fall.

FWC officials had anticipated that the bear would probably come down on his own at night when fewer people are around and go back into the woods.

Black bears are common in Florida and sightings have increased as they look for food in neighborhood trash cans and other areas.

BREAKING: The bear is down from the tree in Holly Hill!! It ran across the street, dodged the cars, and went back into the woods! WFTV Channel 9

Posted by Lauren Seabrook WFTV on Thursday, June 8, 2017