WATCH: 'Unique' Alaskan Bear Cubs Found On Rural Road In Florida
By Zuri Anderson
February 1, 2024
Newly-released body camera footage shows a shocked Florida deputy encountering a pair of "unique" bear cubs over 3,600 miles away from their natural environment in Alaska.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office shared a video of a deputy finding two curious bear cubs along with the 911 caller in the Baker area around 3:30 a.m. on December 5. The caller told the deputy he was driving on Old River Road when he spotted the bears and noticed they didn't look like the black bears that naturally inhabit Florida.
After the surprised deputy got out of her car, the cubs wasted no time sniffing her and the patrol vehicle.
"They're completely friendly," the civilian told her.
"I'm still a little timid, I ain't gonna lie," she responded nervously. One of the cubs places their paws on the deputy as the caller tries to settle the restless creatures down.
The sheriff's office revealed these two adorable cubs are Kodiak bears, a unique subspecies of the grizzly bears. They tend to be larger than normal grizzlies, and their natural habitat is in Alaska.
"These cubs were technically about 3,614 miles from what would normally be 'home' - in Alaska," deputies noted. "Thankfully this pair was friendly and appeared healthy."
Investigators determined the bear cubs escaped an enclosure on the property of a "self-proclaimed" bear trainer. The owner is facing several state wildlife violations following an investigation from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, deputies confirmed.
Kodiak bears, which are the largest in the world, live exclusively on the islands of Kodiak Archipelago, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Male Kodiaks can stand over 10 feet tall on their hind legs and weigh up to 1,500 pounds.
Are those grizzly bears!??? (Audio Up!) An Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy certainly wasn’t expecting what she found when answering a call in the Baker area around 3:30 in the morning December 5th. A man had spotted two bear cubs on the side of Old River Road and said they didn’t appear to be our common Northwest Florida black bears. Turns out he was right. These cubs were technically about 3,614 miles from what would normally be "home" - in Alaska. They are apparently Kodiak cubs, a unique subspecies of the brown or grizzly bears, although Kodiaks are larger. Thankfully this pair was friendly and appeared healthy. The OCSO contacted the bear experts, Florida Fish and Wildlife, who made sure the cubs were transported to a secure location for safekeeping while they conducted a thorough investigation into how they came to be on the side of a road. It was determined the bears had escaped from an inadequate enclosure at a residence on Old River Road where a self-proclaimed bear trainer lives. The resident faces various Florida wildlife violations related to the findings of the FWC investigation. We opted not to share the video until after their investigation was closed. • According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game “Kodiak bears are a unique subspecies of the brown or grizzly bear and in the wild live exclusively on the islands in the Kodiak Archipelago and have been isolated from other bears for about 12,000 years. • There are about 3,500 Kodiak bears; a density of about 0.7 bears per square mile. • Kodiak bears are the largest bears in the world. A large male can stand over 10' tall when on his hind legs, and 5' when on all four legs. They weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Females are about 20% smaller, and 30% lighter than males.”
Posted by Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, January 31, 2024