Kodiak bear cubs were found in Florida, thousands of miles away from their native home: 'Climbing on my car'

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Two Kodiak bear cubs, a unique subspecies of the brown bear, were found in a rural area of the Florida Panhandle thousands of miles away from their native home, authorities said.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office shared a video on social media Wednesday of their encounter with the friendly cubs, who appeared to try and play with a responding deputy. Around 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2023, the sheriff's office received a call from a man who had spotted the pair of cubs and said: "they didn’t appear to be our common Northwest Florida black bears."

The cubs had been roaming around on a road in a rural area in north Okaloosa County, about 50 miles northeast of Pensacola and over 160 miles west of Tallahassee, Florida. The responding deputy's body-camera footage showed the cubs playfully following the man who reported them and the deputy along with trying to climb into her patrol vehicle.

"They’re climbing on my car," the deputy says in the video. "...It’s like they’re not afraid of people cause they’ll walk right up to you and they’ll let you pet them. They’re very curious.”

The sheriff's office said it held off on sharing the video until after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wrapped up its investigation into the bears' origins.

The FWC later determined the bears were Kodiak bears, a subspecies of the brown bear native to Alaska. Sometimes referred to as the Alaskan brown bear, they can grow up to 1,500 pounds, three times the size of Florida's native black bears.

Kodiak bears belonged to a 'self-proclaimed bear trainer'

The cubs were transferred to a "secure location for safekeeping," while the FWC conducted its investigation, the sheriff's office said. It was determined that the bears had escaped from an enclosure at a residence in the area where a "self-proclaimed bear trainer" lives.

The resident faces various state wildlife violations, according to the sheriff's department.

The Miami Herald reported that the resident operates a "game farm," according to a FWC affidavit. He told authorities that the bears belonged to someone else but he acquired them last February, according to the newspaper.

Kodiak bears are the largest bears in the world

Kodiak bears are considered the largest bears in the world, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). A large male can stand over 10 feet tall on its hind legs and 5 feet tall when standing on all fours.

The subspecies are native exclusively to the islands in the Kodiak Archipelago and have been isolated from other bears for about 12,000 years, the ADF&G said. There are about 3,500 Kodiak bears.

Does Florida have bears?

Black bears are the only species of bear native to Florida, according to the FWC.

There are about 4,000 bears statewide and they typically can be found roaming forests and swamps from the Panhandle down to the Big Cypress National Preserve in Southwest Florida.

Keeping wild, exotic animals

Many states struggle with issues related to exotic or wild animals, such as the spread of diseases to people and native animals, and animals that escape and compete with native species, according to the ADF&G.

But in almost every case, according to the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, keeping a wild animal is illegal. Wildlife species are protected by state and federal laws, and at least one special permit is required to keep a wild animal in captivity.

Most cities and counties have local ordinances that prevent people from keeping wild animals in captivity, according to the association.

Tips for bear encounters

The National Park Service advised people to remember that bears are wild and can be dangerous.

"Their behavior is sometimes unpredictable. Although rare, attacks on humans have occurred, inflicting serious injuries and death," according to the agency.

Here's what to do if you encounter a bear:

• Identify yourself by speaking to the bear in a calm, assertive voice
• Stand upright and remain still but slowly wave your arms
• Slowly back up to a secure location, leaving the bear a clear escape route
• Avoid direct eye contact as this could be perceived as aggressive behavior
• Stop and hold your ground if the movement irritates instead of calms the bear
• Do not make any sudden or abrupt movements
• Do not run, this can trigger a chase instinct
• Do not climb a tree; they can climb faster than you
• Do not approach or surprise a bear, especially if one might be injured