Editor, The Beacon:

I would like to comment on the story “He let the dogs out,” regarding the black-bear incident. The title explains why there was a big problem.

I don’t believe it was “three juvenile black bears.” Three juveniles

would not hang out together. Those bears are also in our neighborhood, as we live close by and see them almost daily. It is a mother bear with two cubs that are large but still with her.

I am very sorry about the injury to the dog and to Mr. Sprout. They had seen a large adult black bear.

Looking for bears with a flashlight before letting the dogs out would have made this situation easily avoidable. This mother was protecting her cubs because of an aggressive dog.

There has “never been a recorded predatory attack by a black bear on a human in Florida.” No human has been killed. Attacks are very rare, and most often a result of a dog being aggressive toward a bear, and the humans jumped in, which is understandable. The mother bear would never have charged if there were no dogs.

And, they don’t drag the dog off to eat it. Their diet is 73-percent plants, 22-percent insects, and 5-percent meat, which consists of dead critters, or your garbage. They do not want to eat you. These are not grizzlies, or western brown bears, or Appalachian black bears. They are Florida black bears, and they are generally shy and afraid of humans.

These situations are avoidable with some common sense. We live with a lot of wildlife. Be alert, respect and enjoy them. It’s not that difficult.

Robin Just

DeLand