Below are several news stories about the black bear that was struck by a
car February 3rd near the Florida Turnpike in Miami-Dade County. Officials brought the black bear to veterinarian Marc Wosar at Miami Veterinary Specialists. On Feb. 5 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials decided to release the animal back into the wild with the idea that
the bear would recover on its own.

To the Right: A video of the bear being brought into Miami Veterinary Specialists. Below: Several photos taken of the bear once it was brought into Miami Veterinary Specialists.

A black bear struck by a car on Florida's Turnpike three days ago was returned to the wild and released Thursday afternoon despite having two broken legs and a large open wound in its rear flank.

The decision to truck the young, 200-pound male to Picayune Strand, in Big Cypress National Preserve, was made by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials after the animal was examined by a veterinary surgeon in Miami. "Our policy is to let it recover on its own," wildlife commission spokesman Jorge Pino said. "Even with two fractures. We did what we could do. Now it's time for it to fend for itself."

The bear, only the second of the threatened animals to be seen in Miami-Dade County in 30 years, was struck about 10 p.m. Tuesday on the turnpike near U.S. 27. The bear had been spotted earlier that dayeating cattle feed in a nearby field, according to Lt. Pat Reynolds, a wildlife officer. Reynolds made the call to capture the wounded animal Tuesday and take it to Everglades Outpost Wildlife Rescue in Homestead.

On Thursday, the bear was brought to veterinarian Marc Wosar at Miami Veterinary Specialists. He found both bones in the bear's right foreleg were broken, and the right back leg fractured. A gash in the bear's flank went all the way to the bone, Wosar said.

But wildlife officials decided against trying to pin the fractures. "We want the bear to know he's injured," said biologist Mike Orlando, the wildlife commission's assistant bear program coordinator. "If we put pins in to fix the fracture, he'll think the leg is functional and use it. And what we find is five, 10 days later he will re-break it.

"Bears are extremely resilient. They get hit by cars all the time, and a ton of them survive," said Orlando. He added that the bear was likely to find a patch of saw palmetto and hibernate. He gauged this animal's chances of recovery as "excellent."

Once found throughout Florida, black bears now inhabit six core areas in Florida, including Big Cypress National Preserve. Orlando estimated the state population to be about 3,000 and growing. They were listed as a state threatened species in 1974.

Collisions between vehicles and bears are not uncommon, especially in the Orlando and Ocala areas. In 2008, Orlando said, 165 bears were killed on Florida roads.

MIAMI --It's been a tough road to recovery for a 200-pound black bear healing from a number of injuries after he was hit by a car Tuesday night near the Florida Turnpike in Miami-Dade County.

"He's got a broken leg, his right forearm is broken through both bones and he has a bad cut on his right thigh and right rear," said veterinary surgeon Dr. Marc Wosar with Miami Veterinarian Specialists. "They're pretty good at hiding from people. But unfortunately he wasn't good enough at it."

Robert Fear from Everglades Outpost Rescue is one of the people who found and treated the injured bear for two days before it was transported to Miami Veterinarian Specialists. "I've been rehabbing animals since 1988, and this is the first black I've had," said Fear. "We cleaned his wounds."

At the veterinary center on Thursday, the option of surgery and rehab came up, which involves pinning bones to be able to fuse them together. Veterinarians said the procedure would keep the bear caged for up to six weeks.

"At that time, he would try to break out of the cage and break off teeth and claws. He could die from the recovery alone," said Fear. Because of the risk of further injury, veterinarians have decided to send the bear back into the wild to begin its rehab at the state protected area of Picayune Strand in Collier County

MIAMI - The sight of an injured black bear walking away under its own power when released into the woods supported a decision to overrule a Miami veterinarian who wanted to perform surgery on the accident victim, state wildlife officials said today.

"It was limping, but that's not unusual for a bear with a broken leg," said state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Joe Bozzo, who released the bear late Thursday afternoon in Picayune Strand State Forest in Collier County. "Bears are quick healers. I'd say the prognosis would be good."

The 200-pound male bear was hit by a car Tuesday on the Florida Turnpike near U.S. 27 in Miami-Dade County. The appearance of the animal far from the closest range in Big Cypress National Forest marked just the second sighting of the threatened species in the county for some 30 years, officials said.

After being held at a Homestead wildlife refuge for two days, the bear was examined early Thursday afternoon by Miami veterinarian Marc Wosar. He found fractures in two of the bear's legs and an open wound on its haunch.

Wosar suggested the bear's foreleg could be pinned. "My recommendations from medical perspective was to repair the animal," said Wosar. "Unfortunately, the decision was out of my hands.''

But wildlife commission officials said management protocol favors allowing most injured bears to fend for themselves in the wild. Rehabilitating injured bears in captivity is difficult, and they can become habituated to humans, said Mike Orlando, a wildlife commission bear expert.

"I have almost 100 percent confidence it's going to live," said Orlando. "This bear has been through two days where it wakes up every 20 minutes to have humans standing over it. That's horrible, extremely stressful. They really freak out.

"I am comfortable knowing the end of this will be better for the bear than if we took an alternative route." The bear is not equipped with a tracking collar. Still, Orlando said biologists will try to monitor the bear's recovery.

Black Bear Hit By Car Is Treated, Released Into Wild
Justnews.com

MIAMI -- A black bear is back in the wild in Collier County after apparently being run over by a car in South Florida. The bear was found two nights ago off U.S. 27 in northwestern Miami-Dade County.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, officials took the bear to Miami Veterinary Specialists for treatment of two broken legs. Wildlife officials said it is their policy to let animals recover on their own, so they released it. Black bear sightings are rare in South Florida.

200 Pound Black Bear Hit By Car In Miami-Dade
SouthFloridaAdventures.com

A Florida black bear was hit by a car on Feb. 3 on the Florida Turnpike in Miami-Dade County. The crash broke two of the animal’s legs and tore open flesh on its rear. The 200-pound young male was taken to Miami Veterinary Specialists where it was treated.

On Feb. 5 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials decided to release the animal in Picayune Strand State Park, which lies east of Big Cypress National Preserve. “Our policy is to let it recover on its own,” wildlife commission spokesman Jorge Pino told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Even with two fractures. We did what we could do. Now it’s time for it to fend for itself.”

“Bears are extremely resilient,” he continued. “They get hit by cars all the time, and a ton of them survive.”

In 2008, according to a government report, 165 bears were killed by cars, with most accidents happening around Orlando and Ocala. Pino added that the bear likely would hibernate in a patch of saw palmetto.

This Florida black bear is only the second one to be reported in Miami-Dade over the past 30 years. Once thriving throughout the state, the species was listed as threatened in 1974. Today there are approximately 3,000.