Don't Pose With 'Stressed, Depressed' Bear, Sheriff Warns

A black bear hanging around a Florida roadside has attracted selfie-taking crowds, which has elicited a plea from the local sheriff: Leave the bear alone. "He's clearly not in the mood for pictures," a post on the Walton County Sheriff's Office Facebook page says. "The bear has shown signs of severe stress." The large animal took up a spot next to a telephone pole on the north side of Highway 98 in Santa Rosa Beach early this week, the Guardian reports.

After a gathering was reported, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission crew was dispatched. When officers and biologists arrived at the spot, the bear had vacated and gone into nearby woods. He appeared distressed, the sheriff's post said in urging people not to approach black bears, "especially those that are showing aggression like this big fella." A commission spokesperson said, based on a review of the images, the bear did not seem to be injured. "It may have just been overheated and was resting before moving on," the spokesperson said. The commission estimates that more than 4,050 black bears live in the wild in the state. (More black bear stories.)