Bear kills Florida man and his dog: first such incident in state history

A massive black bear weighing nearly 140 pounds has mauled an 88-year-old Florida man and his loyal dog to death, the first fatal bear attack in the state's history, according to New York Post.

Photo: Leonovo | Dreamstime.com

Robert Markel's granddaughter called 911 on the morning of May 5. She saw a bear mauling her grandfather's dog right outside his trailer, which is on her property in Jerome, about 70 miles south of Fort Myers.

When Collier County Sheriff's Office officers arrived on scene, the dog was already dead.

Fish and Wildlife (FWC) investigators found evidence of a "physical confrontation between the bear and a person near the residence," as well as signs that the animal "had entered the home."

The search for Markel's body took a long time, but it was eventually found 100 yards (90 meters) from the camper where they lived.

While searching for the predator responsible for the horrific attack, FWC staff killed three animals before finding human remains inside the 263-pound (119 kg) male black bear.

DNA from the killer beast was later found inside the camper and on the dog's body.

"The exact sequence of events remains unclear," the agency said. According to them, the attacks on the man and the dog occurred at different times. Experts are still investigating what led to the fatal fight.

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The fatal attack marked the first recorded case of a black bear killing a person in Florida history, although people have been attacked by the animals before and survived.

"FWC receives an average of 6300 bear-related calls annually. Since records began being kept in the 1970s, there have been 42 documented incidents of wild black bears coming into physical contact with people," the agency said.

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