VIDEO: 2 Alaska-native bears found walking on side of Florida road

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Two friendly, Alaska-native bears traveled bear-y far after they were discovered alongside a Florida road last month.

A deputy with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office responded to the side of Old River Road around 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 5 after a man reported seeing two cubs.

The man told the deputy that the animals didn’t appear to be the common Northwest Florida black bears. Instead, they were roughly 3,614 miles from their native grounds in Alaska.

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The sheriff’s department said the Kodiak cubs, a subspecies of brown bears, were very friendly and appeared to be in good health.

After a shaky encounter with the bears, the deputy called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission so they could safely take the cubs to a secure location during their investigation of how they ended up on the side of the road.

The FWC said the pair escaped from a home on Old River Road where “a self-proclaimed bear trainer lives.” The trainer faces several Florida wildlife violations, as the bears were kept in an inadequate closure. It is unclear if the trainer is facing charges.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Games says Kodiak bears are the largest in the world and there are about 3,500 left. These bears live exclusively in the Kodiak Archipelago islands.

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