He is sadder than the average bear.
A “depressed” black bear sulking on the side of a Florida road attracted so much attention Thursday that police had to warn onlookers not to take selfies with the depressed bear.
Photos show the bear hunkered down under a telephone pole on Highway 98 in Santa Rosa Beach, watching gloomily as cars sped through the woods.
When a car pulled over to the side of the road to photograph the strangely behaving bear, the black bear appeared too depressed to escape, which gave some daredevils the courage to approach the bear to take photos.
“Famous last words: ‘If you’re not a friend, why are you in the shape of a friend?'” Walton County Sheriff’s Office I was teased on Facebook.
“The black bear is stressed and depressed,” police continued.
“Onlookers were trying to take selfies with the bear, but the bear was clearly not in the mood for a photo.”
Despite the mood felt by some onlookers, authorities said the giant beast was clearly showing signs of aggression.
From the photograph alone, experts were able to determine one obvious fact: the bear was showing signs of severe stress.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists were dispatched to assess the situation, but by the time they arrived the bear had retreated back into the woods.
“The bear does not appear to be injured. It may have been too hot and was resting before moving on,” an FWC spokesman said. He told the Guardian.
Black bears are common in Florida, especially in the spring and summer when young bears leave their mothers and seek new habitat.
Florida residents are well educated about bear safety, but the sad-looking bear left many in a bad mood and causing them to forget everything they were taught.
“Poor guy… I know how vague the danger level is… He just needs to be hugged or given a big hug. [pot of honey],” one person wrote on Facebook.
“Oh the poor guy looks so sad and devastated. Trees being cut down and pushed into places where people are! So sad,” wrote another.
