Black Bear Kills Elderly Collier Man And His Dog

JEROME, Fla. - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says Robert Markel, an 89-year-old man, and his dog were killed by a bear on Monday, marking the first deadly bear attack in the state since records have been kept.
Authorities say Robert Markel was outside with his dog near the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area in Collier County early Monday when the attack happened.
Markel's daughter told investigators that she saw a bear attack her father's dog, then realized that her dad was nowhere to be found. She then found his body just hundreds of yards away.
"We do know it was a bear attack. We don't know if it was the same bear or multiple bears," FWC spokesperson George Reynaud said.
After deploying four live bear traps, authorities say three bears were killed and their DNA samples have been sent to Gainesville for testing.
There are about 750,000 black bears in North America, but attacks on humans are rare, with black bears killing less than one person per year on average.
About 4,000 black bears live in Florida, according to wildlife officials.
Monday's deadly bear attack is the first in Florida since FWC began tracking bear encounters.
There have now been at least two bear attacks in Florida since last week. A woman in Sanford was attacked outside her home while walking her dog, and said she used a bag of cookies as a distraction to get to safety.