UPDATED:Bears and Balloons Make for an Eventful Day in Ave Maria
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Published on Saturday, 26 April 2014 18:02
Balloons in the air and a bear on the ground made for an eventful Saturday morning in Ave Maria.
The sky over Ave Maria was filled with balloons from the Balloons Over Paradise event sponsored by the Seminole Casino in Immokalee, with many of the balloons landing in Ave Maria. For one balloonist, there was an unwanted observer of the landing in the Bellera neighborhood -- a large black bear.
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials, who were responding to earlier reports of a black bear that was in the neighborhood for many days, darted the bear with a tranquilizer gun then, according to Jorge Pino of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the bear was "humanely euthanized after it was determined that it "had no fear of humans."
Residents in the neighborhood have been concerned for about a week by a black bear that has been damaging property, ripping through screens and even breaking through a garage door in search of food.
Mr. Pino said that the FWC strongly believes, based on an analysis of photographs, that the bear that was euthanized was the same bear that was seen earlier in the week.
Below left, a balloonist took this picture of a bear, shortly before the animal was removed by the FWC. Below right, the damage to the garage of a resident in the Bellera neighborhood a few days ago after a bear broke through a panel in search of food.
Baloon pictures by Ginger Rappley.
Below, balloons over Ave Maria, and one landing in the Emerson Park neighborhood.
