Florida Man and Dog Killed in Rare Fatal Bear Attack; Bear Hunt Planned

Fatal Bear Attack in Collier County

• 💔 An 89-year-old man, identified as Robert Markell, and his dog were killed in a bear attack at his home near the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area.
• 👨‍👧‍👦 Markell's daughter discovered the attack after seeing the bear attack her father's dog and subsequently finding her father deceased a few hundred yards away.
• 🎗️ The victim was a survivor of kidney cancer, and his family is reportedly heartbroken by the incident.

Wildlife Officials Respond and Investigate

• 🐻 FWC officials deployed live bear traps and captured a bear near the attack site for testing to confirm if it was involved.
• 🚨 Officials stated they are trained for such rare events and had a plan in place, utilizing drones and ground personnel.
• 📊 Current belief is that the bear involved was a Florida black bear, though fatal attacks are extremely rare.

Bear Attacks and Florida Bear Hunt

• ⚠️ This is the second bear attack in Florida within a week; a woman in Sanford previously used cookies to distract a bear and escape with her dog.
• 🏹 FWC is proceeding with plans for a Florida bear hunt in December, aiming to kill 187 out of an estimated 4,000 bears.
• 🚫 Opponents express concern over the culling of Florida's dwindling bear population, citing the 2015 hunt which was shut down early due to high kill numbers.
• 🗓️ A draft proposal for the bear hunt is expected to be publicly available for review as early as the next day.