Some turkeys tried to steal a few headlines at the U.S. Open over the weekend, but in Florida it was a bigger, furrier creature that garnered some attention on a golf course – proving that Jack Nicklaus isn’t the only bear to live in the Sunshine State.
A large black bear took a stroll through a Naples, Florida, golf community Sunday. No one was threatened, but the size of the bear did startle residents in the area of the The Club at the Strand.
The club’s general manager, Elvis Gooden Sr., told Fox 13 News in Naples “that size bear I would expect to see at the zoo, not roaming our community, especially during the daytime.”
Ross McGee, who works at the golf club, also spotted the bear and took video, which he posted on Facebook.
McGee says he saw the bear climb a fence then cross a street before going up a driveway. He stayed in his golf cart while he shot the video.
https://www.facebook.com/thestrandcountryclub/videos/1036239123685817
Bears have been seen in the area before, according to the club’s post on Facebook, but this one appears to be one of the biggest that’s come around.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says black bears are the only type of bear that is found in Florida. They have become fairly common on the outskirts of many municipalities, especially as home construction encroaches on previously wild areas.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]