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An 89-year-old man and his dog have died in a black bear attack in southwest Florida, marking the first confirmed fatal attack in the state’s history
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Jerome, Fla., resident Robert Markel was found dead 100 yards away from his home, and DNA was found on his body from a 263-pound male black bear
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Officials have only documented 42 incidents where wild black bears have made physical contact with people in Florida since the 1970s
An 89-year-old man and his dog have died in a black bear attack in southwest Florida — the first of its kind confirmed fatal attack in the state’s history.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), authorities were called to the home of 89-year-old Robert Markel in Jerome, Fla. — a rural unincorporated community located about 40 miles southeast of Naples — soon after 7 a.m. on Monday, May 5, where they discovered his body about 100 yards outside of his home.
The FWC said in a press release that Markel’s family members reported him missing and said that there were signs of recent disturbances that could have been caused by a bear around the property.
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Big Cypress National Preserve, located near Markel’s home.
FWC investigators said that they found evidence of “a physical encounter between a bear and a person near the residence, a dog recently killed by a bear in close proximity to a person and signs that a bear had entered the residence itself.”
In its statement, the FWC confirmed that this was the first fatal black bear attack in Florida’s history, although humans have previously been scratched and bitten by bears in the state.
The organization added that circumstances surrounding the attack met requirements for three bears living in the nearby South Bear Management Unit to be euthanized and for their DNA to be collected, including three adult male bears weighing 207, 263 and 434 pounds. FWC staff also attempted to trap a fourth bear but were unsuccessful.
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“The three carcasses were immediately transported to laboratories in Gainesville for necropsy and testing, along with DNA samples collected from physical evidence at the scene,” officials said.
According to the FWC, the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but DNA samples from the testing revealed on Friday that the 263-pound male’s body contained Markel’s partial remains.
DNA results also showed that the 263-pound male’s DNA was present on Markel, inside his house and on his dog’s body, per the FWC, and all three bears tested negative for rabies.
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A male American black bear.
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Law enforcement and bear management staff have been observing the property for more bears since Monday, and only briefly saw one additional bear on Thursday night, which quickly left the area.
“We want to thank the family for their cooperation as they navigate this challenging time, and our thoughts remain with them,” FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said in a statement. “I am proud of our staff’s professional response and support for the family as they faced an unfathomable event this week.”
According to the FWC, no other species of bear is found in Florida, and there are estimated to be around 4,050 across the state. The South Bear Management Unit, where Jerome is located, contains the third largest population of bears in the state, estimated at 1,044 in 2015, the organization added.
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The press release states that the FWC has only documented 42 incidents where wild black bears have made physical contact with people since the 1970s. Only three of those incidents resulted in serious injuries requiring medical attention, excluding the fatal attack this week.
According to the organization’s website, anyone living near bears should never feed the animals, keep garbage, food and livestock secure, and be aware of their surrounding while walking dogs.
“Please contact the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) if you feel threatened by a bear; observe a sick, injured, dead, or orphaned bear; or to report someone who is either harming bears or intentionally feeding them,” the press release said.
The FWC added that the investigation into the fatal attack is still ongoing and will remain open until testing is complete.
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