Little Orphan Ursus
Hello, my name is Ursus, and I am a young Black Bear living in Florida’s Ocala National Forest. I recently left my mother after almost two years of training, and I’m on a big adventure! I have been wandering and foraging my way through the woods, and there is just so much delicious food to eat! There’s a multitude of plants and fruits from Palmetto berries, pond apples, sawgrass, cabbage palm, and sassafrass to wild coffee, grapes, and raspberries. There’s also a plethora of insects(Although I prefer berries!) such as ants, bees, wasps, grasshoppers, and centipedes. (That old myth about bears and honey stemmed from the fact that we love bee grubs, and that is what we are after if you see us near a hive.) I also see a lot of small animals, like turtles, snakes, opossum, and crayfish which I would only eat if I couldn’t find enough of my favorites. Needless to say, the Florida scrub is abundant with bear food(what is called “species-appropriate” food), and I have no desire for yours. The only reason a bear would ever start craving human edibles is if a human starts feeding us. When you leave out all kinds of goodies(Things like cat food, dog food, bird seed, the compost pile, pizza, bbq, etc.) in nice little bowls and bins for us, we can’t resist! What we don’t understand is why you would be so kind as to leave food for us, then get angry when we keep coming back for more? Obviously, different species just don’t get each other. Sometimes, these misunderstandings can lead to tragedy.
