Watch: Bear, cub captured on doorbell camera in the middle of the night at Florida home

Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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A Florida family received two unexpected visitors on their doorbell camera in the middle of the night: a mama bear and her cub.

Elizabeth Martin said that she had become accustomed to bears in her Mount Plymouth neighborhood, but she was still surprised when the doorbell alarm went off at 1:30 a.m. a few weeks ago, as Fox 35 Orlando reported.

Her Ring camera captured the late night visitors. The video shows the mama bear with its paws up against the wall, just out of sight of the camera. She peers up and over the camera, swinging her head side to side. She huffs a couple of times before dropping on all fours and waddling away. Her tiny cub can also be seen in the background wandering around near the car parked nearby.

Martin told Fox 35 that the mama bear has gotten into a big deep freezer on the porch in the past and had a feast with its contents. Since then, she has learned how to live with Florida bears by keeping a pad lock on her freezer.

"We’re from Louisiana originally and all our family at home is like I knew y'all had gators like we did, I didn’t know you had bears. I can’t believe there’s bears," Martin told Fox 35.

More: Watch: 3-legged bear named Tripod busts into mini fridge in Florida, downs White Claws

Yes, there are bears in Florida

Bears can be found almost anywhere in the state but prefer to be in areas of flatwoods, swamps, scrub oak ridges, and hammock habitats, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

They look for places in cover and try to stay away from heavily populated areas. But Central Florida and Mount Plymouth fall in one of the regions that the commission considers "frequent" for bear visits based on observations by researchers, public calls for help and sightings.

Those areas are considered core to the bear population and show evidence that reproduction is consistent.

Officials urge the public to avoid feeding bears, as it can increase their comfort with humans and put them at further risk. Officials recommend securing trash with a caddy, a bear-resistant container or simply waiting to put bins out in the morning before trash.

Florida black bear range shows how frequently bears visit each area around the state based on data collection by bear researchers, managers, as well as the public, which include calls for assistance, research and management captures, vehicle strikes, and sightings.
Florida black bear range shows how frequently bears visit each area around the state based on data collection by bear researchers, managers, as well as the public, which include calls for assistance, research and management captures, vehicle strikes, and sightings.

Also: Florida sheriff asks for officials' help with bears: 'Get to work and get us a solution'

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch: Doorbell camera shows mama bear and cub come up to Florida home