GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – Police and state wildlife officials are monitoring a bear that was sighted several times Thursday in Green Cove Springs.
City police were called to Cypress Avenue and followed the bear through several backyards near the Governor's Creek Bridge, then along St. Johns Avenue, where it was last seen in a wooded area behind a church that borders the river.
WATCH: Bear roams through Green Cove Springs backyard
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission biologist went to the spot where the bear was last seen, but the bear was already gone.
"It was in several back yards, but ran off into the woods, back into bear habitat. We're continuing to monitor the situation," FWC spokesman Greg Workman said.
FWC officials ask anyone who lives in the area to remove any possible food that might attract the bear, like barbecue grills, bird feeders and trash cans.
"Bears are always looking for a free lunch," FWC spokesperson Karen Parker said. "If they do see the bear, the best thing to do would be bring your pets and kids inside, shut the door and then call wildlife alert."
Green Cove Springs resident Tasha Fleming said her uncle spotted the bear.
"He saw it. It was right down the road from us. (He) saw it jump a fence. At first he thought it was a dog then he saw it stand up," Tasha Fleming said.
Her sister, Lena Fleming, said she's never seen a bear in Green Cove Springs before.
"It's real small and quiet most of the time. So I never heard about no bear being around here," Lena Fleming said.
A bear in a residential area is why the National Rifle Association is pushing for another bear hunt in Florida.
"While FWC is working to educate people about securing trash and is trying to move dangerous bears out of residential areas, those programs are helpful, but cannot succeed without hunts to reduce the population," NRA officials wrote in a recent letter to FWC.
Last year's black bear hunt was the first in more than two decades. Statewide, hunters killed 304 bears in two days. Thirty-two people registered for the hunt in Clay County last year.
The FWC asked anyone who sees the bear to call its wildlife alert hotline at 888-404-3922.
If you've seen the bear, share your information, photos or video with newstips@news4jax.com.