Police tell people to stop taking selfies with ‘depressed’ black bear
Police in Florida are urging people to stop taking selfies with a “depressed” black bear spotted loitering morosely on a roadside. The unhappy animal took up residence on the north side of Highway 98 in Santa Rosa Beach earlier this week and, according to a Facebook post by the Walton county sheriff’s office, quickly attracted unwanted attention from passing motorists. “Onlookers were trying to take selfies with the bear and he’s clearly not in the mood for pictures. The bear has shown signs of severe stress,” the post said. It described the large male bear as “stressed, depressed, lemon zest” and urged the public not to approach a black bear at any time, “especially those that are showing aggression like this big fella.” Rangers from the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) were dispatched to investigate after a call from the sheriff’s office reported “crowds of onlookers stopping to take photos of the bear,” which was sitting beside a telegraph pole. An FWC spokesperson said in a statement that by the time its officers and biologists arrived, “the bear had dispersed and walked off into the adjacent woods.” It said that, based on images shared with staff: “The bear did not appear to be injured. It may have just been overheated and was resting before moving on.”