The home was supposed to be a sanctuary for one Florida woman.
But she got more than she ever bargained for.
And a Florida woman got the shock of his life when she found this fight in her backyard.
A pair of black bears brawl in the backyard of a Florida woman
A homeowner in Central Florida got a front-row ticket to one of nature’s heavyweight fights.
Tatum Murphy owns a home in Longwood, Florida near Wekiva Springs State Park.
She is used to seeing wildlife from the surrounding area on her property.
But nothing prepared for the throwdown that took place in her backyard.
A pair of black bears went at each other in Murphy’s backyard.
The bears knocked over patio furniture and a potted plant as they tussled.
Murphy was woken up at 2:00 am by the sound of the fight in her backyard.
“Well, I was sleeping, about 2 o’clock in the morning, and I was jolted up because it sounded like a sledgehammer was hitting my backyard furniture, my back patio,” Murphy recalled.
She looked at the footage from her home security system because she was too frightened to look out the window.
“I saw them fighting. Two big, huge bears — they had to be about 500 pounds — starting a fight,” Murphy explained. “The sounds of tornadoes continued. It was about 10 minutes of them fighting. They fought along the side of my house. There’s blood there; it’s wild.”
Florida woman’s backyard is a zoo
No one is sure why the fight broke out between the bears in Murphy’s yard.
Florida bear trapper Frank Robb said that the quarrels between wild animals put people to shame.
“When you’re dealing with large predators — bears, alligators, doesn’t matter what it is — they’re going to have conflicts. When they have a disagreement, it’s pretty serious,” Robb explained. “People think we understand what disagreements are, but when animals have disagreements, it’s a whole other level.”
The growth of housing in Florida has led to black bears encountering humans more often.
Robb warned Florida residents that they need to stay alert for wildlife.
“That could have been a lot worse if she found herself outside with all this happening,” Robb stated. “You’ve got to have your head on a swivel at all times and be aware of your surroundings. That’s the biggest thing you can do.”
Murphy has seen wildlife come onto her property but nothing like this before.
“My house is situated at the end of the reservoir where there’s ponds. I see bobcats, otters, gators, bears often, but they’re very docile, usually, walking around, checking things out,” Murphy explained. “Never have I seen a bear fight, and I don’t think many people have in this world.”
She has caught views of all sorts of animals on her security camera.
“Believe it or not, I have video footage of all kinds of animals on my back porch and backyard,” Murphy stated. “Otters, alligators, bears, bobcats . . . My house is like a zoo!”
Tatum Murphy has a front-row view of Florida’s wildlife at her home.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.
