ORANGE CITY, Fla. – A family of bears foraging for food on a middle school campus forced students to stay in their classrooms until the animals moved along Thursday morning, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said the sow and her three cubs were spotted near portable classrooms at River Springs Middle School in Orange City about 8:05 a.m. Thursday. Teachers were told to keep students in their classrooms to avoid any conflict.
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School officials, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and the school resource deputy monitored the situation and called in officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Shortly after 10 a.m., the bears left the campus without incident.
"Thankfully, the bears’ presence did not cause any serious problem and due to their healthy fear of humans, they moved on without harm to anyone on campus or themselves," deputies said in a news release.
With the temperatures warming up, bears are becoming more active and are more likely to be seen foraging. For information on how to avoid conflicts with bears, click here.