Watch: Bear climbs onto sailboat in Florida harbor
Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A black bear paid a visit to a Florida harbor and was caught on camera exploring the deck of a sailboat.
Todd Dillman, owner of TowBoat U.S. Naples-Marco Island, said he was pushing a barge back into the bay at the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club when he spotted a bear in the water.
"We get the saltwater crocs, the alligators, the sharks, stuff like that. But I can't say I've seen anything like this before," Dillman told WBBH-TV. "Not in a million years. And I probably won't ever see it again."
He said the scene became even more shocking moments later.
"I came back around and looked over and he's on the sailboat," Dillman said.
Dillman captured video of the bear wandering the deck of the catamaran and posted it to his business' Facebook page.
"I sat here for like an hour and he was just going front to back on the boat," he said. "He's just hanging out. He's walking back and forth, across the bow."
The bear soon attracted a crowd of onlookers.
"Word started spreading that there was a bear on the docks. And I said, 'No. No. There can't be a bear on the docks," said Manny Blanco, the yacht club's general manager. "Walked out the docks and sure enough, there was a bear on a boat. I've seen alligators in the marina. I've seen dolphins, manatees, but I never seen a bear."
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it is monitoring the bear's movements to make sure it safely finds its way back to the wilderness.
