FWC takes bears for DNA analysis after deadly attack kills man, dog in rural Collier County
- An 89-year-old Florida man and his dog were killed in a black bear attack, the first recorded fatal bear attack in the state's history.
- Three bears have been captured and are undergoing DNA analysis to determine if one was responsible for the attack.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident and has set traps for other bears in the area.
- The FWC is considering reinstating a bear hunt to manage the state's bear population.
For the first time in recorded Florida history, a black bear has killed a human, and officials are working to find the bear, with three already taken for DNA analysis.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, along with Collier County Sheriff's Office, responded to a call early May 5 about a bear mauling a man and his dog in the tiny, remote area of Jerome, officials said.
On Tuesday, May 6, FWC officials announced the scene remains active, with officers continuing to set traps and search for bears.
FWC Executive Director Roger Young said they had shot three bears and sent them for DNA analysis to University of Florida in Gainesville. They won't know if they got the bear responsible until the results are confirmed.
Young confirmed that Markel and the dog died from a bear attack. He would not discuss the injuries "out of respect for the family."
FWC officials later confirmed all three bears were dead.
Young said officers set additional traps and trail cameras to possibly capture more bears, adding its policy to trap and take all bears that could be responsible.
What do officials know about what happened?
Soon after first responders arrived at a home at 22777 State Road 29 in Jerome after a 7:15 a.m. call, they found the body of 89-year-old Robert Markel a couple hundred yards away from the dog, George Reynaud of FWC said.
He said Markel and the dog were home alone at the time of the incident; and Markel had likely died two hours before the dog. Officials said Markel's daughter made the initial 911 call for help after seeing the bear kill the dog.
"When there's a loss of life, we're all affected by this, we're very sorry that this occurred," said Tyson Matthews, an FWC public information officer.
FWC workers immediately began a search for the bear, or bears, that killed the pair, setting out four traps and warning area residents to remain vigilant, with about 10 officers armed with "bear aversion guns and lethal force if needed," Matthews said.
"Based on the ecology in the Florida and what we know, it was more than likely a black bear, if that was the case. Grizzly, brown bears don't select this habitat," he said.
The FWC estimates there is an estimated 4,050 black bears in Florida. Grizzly and brown bears aren't known to live in Florida.
Young said fatal bear attacks are very rare, but FWC receives around 6,000 calls a year in regard to bear encounters. Mostly those calls are about seeing a bear, a bear getting in a trash can or a bear on the roadway, he said.
The rural area borders the more than 700,000-acre Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area in Collier County, bordering the Everglades. Jerome is a small, rural unincorporated area named for a timber company owner. It sits about 10 miles north of Everglades City.
The bears, as well as evidence gathered earlier, were headed to the University Florida in Gainesville on Monday night for a necropsy and DNA analysis, as is standard procedure, Matthews said.
Mauling is state's second in 2025
According to data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the May 5 black bear attack in Collier County is the second bear mauling statewide this year.
According to the data, since November 2020, there have been at least 15 bear attacks in Florida involving the presence of dogs. The last attack a dog was not present, according to the records, was in March 2020.
The data states that the last black bear attack in Collier County happened Jan. 9, 2018. In that case, a black bear attacked a man in his North Naples backyard.
FWC considers return of bear hunt to cull population
The FWC had three virtual public feedback meetings in April for the proposed return of the bear hunt and expect to make an announcement this week. The primary objectives of regulated hunting are to balance species population numbers with suitable habitat and to maintain a healthy population, the agency reported.
The proposal indicates that 55 will be permitted for harvest from Lee, Collier and Hendry counties.
The last black bear hunt happened a decade ago, but the planned 7-day hunt was shut down at the end of the second day after nearly 300 bears were killed.