Bear spotted near 2 central Florida campuses

Florida – A black bear was spotted near the campuses of two central Florida schools, officials said.

“There is a bear on campus,” said the caller to 911 on Monday afternoon, Orange City police Lt. Jason Sampsell told The Daytona Beach News Journal.

According to Volusia County Schools spokeswoman Kelly Schulz, Manatee Cove Elementary and River Springs Middle schools were placed on hold for 13 minutes.

“The schools were not locked down. A lockdown is one where for safety purposes we lock all the doors,” Schulz said. “A hold is basically telling students to stay where they are because the bear was seen in the vicinity of the school.”

According to Sampsell, officers responded to the area at 1:20 and by 1:33 they had determined that the bear was in the woods and not bothering anyone.

It is not unusual to see a bear in the area, officials said.

“Bears will be more active during this season, often seen during the day trying to eat as much food as possible before winter,” Michelle Kerr, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.