Wildlife officers in southwest Florida have killed three black bears after a violent mauling that led to the loss of life of a person and a canine, the primary deadly assault of its type within the state.
Authorities suspect that 89-year-old Robert Markel died because of a bear attack close to his house early on Monday.
In response to The Related Press, DNA samples from the bears and the assault scene have been despatched to a Gainesville lab for testing to find out if any of the animals killed Markel.
The assault occurred in a rural space east of Naples, simply south of Massive Cypress Wildlife Administration Space.
The physique of the bear believed to have killed the person was faraway from a wooded space near the assault web site on Monday evening, in keeping with the Naples Daily News.
Rangers have been referred to as to the scene at about 7:15 a.m. on Monday after Markel’s daughter reported seeing a bear attacking her father’s canine, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee (FWC) spokesperson George Reynaud mentioned at a press convention on Monday.
Reynaud mentioned Markel’s physique was found “a few hundred yards away” from the canine.
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“We do comprehend it was a bear assault. We don’t know if it was the identical bear or a number of bears,” he mentioned.
Wildlife officers secured the realm and set quite a few traps and cameras on Monday evening, officers mentioned, including that authorities had suggested members of the general public to keep away from the realm. A search workforce of about 10 officers was additionally scaling the realm on foot.
“Deadly drive is a final resort, however we’re armed to handle that,” a second spokesperson, Tyler Matthews, mentioned in the course of the press convention.
The wildlife fee has recorded 43 bear encounters in Florida since 2006, together with Monday’s, with two earlier assaults in Naples, one in every of which concerned a canine.
Markel’s loss of life can be the primary within the state to be brought on by a bear assault, if confirmed.
The one different bear encounter recorded in Florida in 2025 was in Silver Springs in February and concerned an grownup feminine together with her younger cub.
In response to the FWC, it’s uncommon for bears to injure individuals in Florida, although there have been incidents of residents being bitten and scratched by bears defending themselves, their cubs or meals sources.
If an individual is attacked by a black bear, the FWC encourages preventing again.
“Battle again aggressively,” the web site says. “Individuals have efficiently fended off black bear assaults utilizing rocks, sticks, and even their naked palms!”
Florida’s black bears, which have been as soon as threatened, have more and more wandered into neighbourhoods and personal property in recent times, particularly in additional rural areas of north and central Florida.
— With recordsdata from The Related Press
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