Cake-stealing bear killed

MACCLENNY, Fla., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Florida wildlife officials said the black bear that entered a home and stole a birthday cake was tracked down and killed with a shot to the head.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said biologists with tracking dogs found the bear close to U.S. 90 about two weeks after the Oct. 3 home invasion in Macclenny and Baker County sheriff's stopped traffic during the chase, WJXT-TV, Jacksonville, reported Friday.

"We were hopeful that the bear would climb a tree to evade the dogs, making it easy and safe to tranquilize the animal, but that did not happen," said Karen Parker, the commission's public information coordinator. "Instead, the bear became aggressive. To wait for the drugs to take effect would have taken much too long. The conservation officer with the group of biologists and dog handlers tracking the bear authorized one of the handlers to shoot the bear. The animal was killed by a single shot to the head."

Officials said they decided to euthanize the bear after the Macclenny incident because it had entered a home.