By CBS Miami Team, Sergio Candido
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DELAND, Florida (WFOR) — A Central Florida family faced a frightening encounter last week when a bear broke into their home and had to be shot by the homeowner.
It happened on Sept. 19 in DeLand, a city located about 40 miles north of Orlando.
Zeke Clark, who lives near a wooded area, said the bear entered through his garage door, which then shut behind it, trapping the animal inside.
“Door shut behind him…. You can tell bear freaked out that a bunch of damage in here because he couldn’t get out. Then he came to this door… bent this door. Got this door open,” Clark told local television station WESH.
The bear barged into the house where Clark’s mother-in-law was sitting in the living room. She screamed as dogs barked, and the bear bolted down the hallway into the only open door — the bathroom.
Clark said he shut the bathroom door and fired his gun before the bear could get to his family.
“I was able to get the door back open again. Shot one time inside the bathroom. Shut the door again because bear [was] trying to get back out. And then finished [it] by shooting two more times,” he said.
Clark dragged the bear’s body out on a tarp before the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) took over. He said he is thankful the situation didn’t end worse.
“This could’ve been a much worse situation. I’m thankful for that,” Clark said. “Pure fear for me. I mean seeing an animal that big come at you… coming face to face with it. it’s not something you want to deal with.”
Clark told WESH he has seen bears roam his yard and garage before, but never had one make it so far into his home.
The FWC said it was notified about the incident on Friday morning, according to local station WOFL. The agency confirmed the homeowner shot and killed the bear after it entered their home and said no one inside the home was hurt.
FWC detectives found damage to the home’s outside door “consistent with entry by a bear,” WOFL reported. In a statement, the agency added, “FWC Bear Management staff will canvass the community for awareness and education, as well as monitor the area for additional bear activity of concern.”
Black bears are found across Florida, and while seeing one can be exciting, the FWC stresses that feeding bears is illegal and dangerous. Food attractants like unsecured garbage, birdseed, or pet food can draw them into neighborhoods.
Once bears learn to associate people with food, they lose their natural fear of humans. This can lead to property damage and repeated visits, making it harder to keep them wild. Over time, food-conditioned bears often face deadly outcomes, whether through car collisions, illegal shootings or management removals, the FWC said on its website.
Relocating bears is rarely a solution, since they often return to their home range or wander into new areas, creating further conflicts. Instead, the FWC urges residents to secure trash in bear-resistant containers, protect livestock with electric fencing, and remove other food sources like fallen fruit or outdoor feeders.
If a bear enters a home’s yard, wildlife officials advise scaring it away from a safe distance and then removing whatever drew it there. Residents are encouraged to report repeated conflicts or sightings near school bus stops and to follow prevention steps so that communities and bears can coexist safely.
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