A trail camera in Florida has caught footage of a bear and a coyote travelling together. Mike Kacos was the first one to spot the incident.
The sighting was quite remarkable as it is not at all common to witness a bear and a coyote walking together. The footage shows both animals travelling together through the forest at the same time, as if they are extremely familiar with one another, suggesting a unique form of friendship.
Kacos told The Dodo of the incident:
"I was shocked. When I saw them walking together like that, I was shocked."
Kacos wasn't the only one surprised by the sighting. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) also agreed that the pair seems unusually close and decided to share the video.
They wrote:
"Well, this bear certainly knows the coyote is there and doesn't appear to mind!"
The footage does not establish how often the animals encountered one another or whether they had an ongoing association. However, it is always nice to have a friend when exploring the world.
[h/t: The Dodo]
The shared route is what the clip documents
A fixed camera can show two animals using the same patch of forest at nearly the same time. It cannot reveal the whole history of their encounters. Following the order in which they enter and leave the frame gives a more precise description than assigning a friendship to the brief sequence.
Proximity is an observation; friendship is an interpretation
The camera shows the animals passing through the same scene without an obvious confrontation. That is enough to make the recording interesting. Their earlier encounters and reasons for moving together remain unknown, so a precise caption can describe direction, spacing and timing without inventing a first meeting or a continuing bond.
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Where and when it was filmed
The video was recorded in south Naples, near the golf course of the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission posted it on 14 June 2021. The FWC had been tracking a black bear in the area earlier that month. It suggested two possible explanations: the coyote may have been following the bear, relying on the bear’s sense of smell to find food, or the two animals may simply have been using the same trail at the same time. The commission noted that bears and coyotes can be found in urban areas too, and advised people never to feed wild animals and to secure attractants such as garbage, pet food and livestock.
Sources: Local10 News, June 2021: A bear and a coyote go for a walk
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