https://www.mysuncoast.com/202...tack-collier-county/

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) - Florida Fish and Wildlife Officers are investigating after a man and his dog were found dead, believed to be victims of a bear attack.

According to officials, this happened in the area of State Road 29 and U.S. 41 just south of Big Cypress Wildlife Management. This is in Jerome in Collier County.

So far, FWC confirms the attack resulted in the mauling death of a man and a dog. Officials are searching for the black bear and are creating a perimeter.

The animal involved may still be in the area as FWC continues to secure the area. FWC is asking people to be vigilant and to avoid the area

I'm in Naples. Last night a bear was killed by FWC that was in the immediate area of the attack. A necropsy will be performed to determine if it was the same bear.

Local bunny huggers are sayin it is fake. Never happened.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Local bunny huggers are sayin it is fake. Never happened.

May want to ask the bunnyhuggers to become "bear huggers" and see if they change their tune.

As of last night, Florida FWC confirm that 3 bears have been killed in the immediate vicinity of the attack. They said they ranged in size from 200 lbs to 400 lbs. DNA has been sent to University of Florida for analysis.

The 911 caller reporting the attack said the camper looked liked it was ransacked with the dog dead nearby. The man was unaccounted for at the time of the call. He was later found nearby.

When relatives went to check on Markel, who lives in a trailer on the property, they said he wasn't there.

"No, he’s gone completely. His whole camper was destroyed," the 911 caller said. "He’s not in there. He’s 89-years-old...he can’t run. He literally can’t even walk without falling over," he added.

The granddaughter told deputies on scene the last time she saw her grandfather was 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

When deputies arrived, the report says the trailer was in disarray, the mattress was off the bed and items were scattered throughout the trailer.

"They just found his pants, wallet and shirt in the woods," the 911 caller told dispatchers before law enforcement arrived.

Deputies say those items were found about 20 yards from the trailer in the woods.

"The shirt seemed to be saturated in blood," the report said.

FWC arrived at the scene and said they found a body about 100 yards away from Markel's trailer, which appeared to be covered in dirt and leaves.

During the 911 call, the person said bears come in and out behind the camper every single day.

"There’s freaking 40 bears out here. They come in and out every day *inaudible* and now they just decide to kill a dog and take *inaudible*," the caller said.

UPDATE MAY 6:

FWC says officers shot and killed three bears overnight following the suspected bear attack that killed an 89-year-old man.

The agency says the three bears shot were in the vicinity they were searching.

"DNA samples from the scene and the three bears have been sent to Gainesville for testing and we are awaiting the results of the DNA testing now," said Roger Young, FWC's Executive Director.

Wildlife officials say they will continue to search and kill black bears in the area until DNA results show which bear or bears are responsible for the deadly attack.

Young says there might be hair left from the bears at the scene, which they can take DNA from to match to the three killed. FWC expects this to take 24 hours.

In a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, FWC said they secured the perimeter and set out several traps and cameras overnight.

According to policy, they will try to trap and take all the bears involved in the incident. They do believe more than one bear is involved.

FWC is still calling this a wildlife attack until more information is known.

"Until we can definitively say which bears were involved, we’re going to continue these efforts until we can make that decision," Young said.

Mike Orlando, FWC's bear management coordinator, says dogs and bears don't get along and this is seen throughout the state. However, an interaction with a human is different.

"The issue with a person being not only injured, but killed by a bear is extraordinarily rare. It’s the first time we’ve had that in our state’s history," Orlando said.

"Might be hair left..."

"Seemed to be saturated in blood..."