Bear takes up residence in Holly Hill neighborhood

A bear caused quite the stir in a Volusia County neighborhood Tuesday after taking up residence in a tree in front of Shelia Vought’s home.

“There were some kids that were looking and they were all over our yard,” said Vought, who lives on Primrose Lane in Holly Hill.

The bear, which looks to be young, was laying on a limb for hours. At one point, FOX 35 even caught a yawn on camera.  Word of his presence spread quickly on the block with many people stopping by to get a glimpse.

“This is the coolest thing to happen in Holly Hill,” said Daniella Sjoblon.

“It’s neat to see, I’ve never seen one before so it’s something new,” said Cory Whealen, who lives across the street from where the bear was spotted.

Neighbors say they reached out to officials about the bear and got some simple advice.

“They said to just leave him alone,” Vought said. “Don’t get him riled up or anything and he’ll get down at night and he’ll leave.”

One man says the bear has been spotted a couple times in the neighborhood lately.  We reached out to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission but had not heard back at the time this story was published.