Earlier Thursday morning the University of Florida received an unexpected visitor — and no, it wasn’t a Florida Gator.
A bear was spotted in a tree across from the UF Cancer and Genetics Research Complex on Mowry Road Thursday morning, prompting agents from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to arrive on scene.
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As of 2 p.m., the area surrounding the bear is roped off with police tape, and UFPD vehicles, along with an FWC vehicle, are both on scene. About a dozen people stood across the street from the scene, camera phones in hand.
A trapper was traveling from Mount Dora to Gainesville to assist in catching the bear.
A UPD officer at the scene said officials have agreed not to shoot the bear with a tranquilizer, and that it could take hours for the bear to come down.
Calls and emails to the university and its police department have not yet been returned.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Black bear spotted on University of Florida campus in Gainesville
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