911 - Florida Black Bear Kills Man Aged 89 and His Dog - 5May2025

[houseoftechno]

Vid is audio of the 911 call after grandson discovered the mauled dog and missing grandpa. During call, they discover the old man's clothes a distance away from the ransacked camper.

Local Press Story
Wildlife officials have identified the bear that killed Robert Markel.

Only one of the three black bears shot after Markel, of remote Jerome in Collier County, was mauled was responsible for the 89-year-old's death, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said.

A post-mortem exam of the bears found Markel's partial remains in the body of a 263-pound male. Tests confirmed that bear's DNA also was on Markel, in his home and on the body of a family dog.

Official confirmation from the agency came May 9, after it finished its initial investigation into the first fatal bear attack in recorded Florida history.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office notified the agency May 5 there'd been "a possible fatal wildlife encounter," according to a news release, after family members reported Markel missing amid "signs of recent disturbances that could have been caused by a bear or bears around the property. "

After securing the area, FWC staff set about hunting any nearby bears suspected in the attack. Markel was found about 100 yards from his home, the report said.

Investigators found evidence of a scuffle between a bear and a person near the home, as well as a recently killed dog near Markel and signs a bear had entered the home. The sequence of events isn't clear, the agency said.

Such circumstances require "lethal removal," per agency policy, though "FWC does not make that decision lightly," the release said.

From Monday evening, May 5, into early Tuesday morning, May 6, FWC personnel killed three adult male bears weighing 207, 263 and 434 pounds and tried unsuccessfully to trap a fourth. They did manage to get DNA from the untrapped bear. The three carcasses were immediately sent to laboratories in Gainesville for necropsy and testing, along with DNA samples collected from the scene.

The Collier County Medical Examiner is finishing their investigation, but said the preliminary cause of Markel's death was "consistent with injuries caused by a black bear," the release said. No other bear DNA was found beside that of the three killed, and none had rabies.

FWC law enforcement and bear management staff stayed near the property through May 9 and saw just one other bear during that time. Law enforcement and bear management staff will remain throughout the weekend, the agency said.

https://www.naplesnews.com/story/new...n/83541537007/

Pic is a file photo of a Florida Black Bear, not involved in the attack.

[kellyhound]

Wonder if he was preparing food or leftovers were in the trash can as they don't enter homes for no reason other than that. Or got agitated by the barking dog.


Jerome is in the South Bear Management Unit, which has the third-largest population of bears in the state, estimated at 1,044 in 2015.

The FWC received 16 bear-related calls within a 10-mile radius of nearby Copeland between May 5, 2024, and May 4, 2025, resulting in five site visits, five capture efforts, three bears that were relocated and hazed, and one bear that was humanely killed, according to the FWC.

While it is rare for wild black bears to injure people in Florida, people have been bitten and scratched by bears, most often when there are cubs, food sources or dogs present.

The FWC receives an average of 6,300 bear-related calls annually and has documented 42 prior incidents where wild black bears have made physical contact with people since the 1970s, when comprehensive records began being kept.

Of those, three resulted in serious injuries requiring medical attention prior to the most recent incident.

[IvorySmith]

I love how they automatically assumed that it was a black bear.