AMU Taking New Steps to Deal with Bears

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Published on Thursday, 13 September 2012 14:56

bearb1Ave Maria University has a begun a number of initiatives in response to recent sightings of black bears on the campus.

AMU Vice President of Student Affairs, William Kirk, said that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be stepping up its efforts to keep bears away.

"The FWC now acknowledges that these bears may continue to visit our area even if the trash and other attractants are better managed and as a result, they have now committed to continue their efforts to trap the bear (or bears) that are entering the community and to relocate them and/or take other 'bear management actions' as necessary to keep the community safe," Mr. Kirk said in a statement.

At least one trap has been set up on the campus, and others may be added.

The FWC has made two attempts to trap bears in Ave Maria neighborhoods, setting up traps in July and August, but no bears were caught.

Mr. Kirk asks residents to report all bear sightings -- wherever they are in Ave Maria -- to AMU Security at 239-280-6289 in addition to reporting them to the FWC hotline at 888-404-3922. The latter number is also on the home page of The Ave Herald for quick reference.

AMU also is sponsoring a workshop Saturday morning, Sept. 15, that will go over a number of aspects of how people can deal with bears. The workshop is from 8 a.m. to noon and is open to residents as well as the university community. More details are in an Ave Herald calendar posting here, and background information for the workshop can be downloaded in PDF format here.