Florida police tell people to stop taking selfies with 'depressed' black bear

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/19/florida-bear-selfies

Florida police tell people to stop taking selfies with ‘depressed’ black bear

County sheriff says bear by side of highway in Santa Rosa Beach is ‘clearly not in the mood for pictures’

Richard Luscombe in Miami
Fri 19 Jul 2024 16.54 EDT

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”.

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