Florida man and his canine killed in suspected bear assault

Authorities had been on the lookout for the animals accountable after a Florida man and his canine had been discovered useless from a suspected bear assault Monday, wildlife officers mentioned.

Robert Markel, 89, was found useless alongside together with his canine at his residence close to the group of Jerome in Collier County after authorities had been referred to as shortly after 7 a.m., Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee spokesperson George Reynaud mentioned.

He and his canine had been discovered in several areas, inside a pair hundred yards of one another, Reynaud informed reporters.

“We do realize it was a bear assault. We do not know if it was the identical bear or a number of bears,” he mentioned.

The assault on Markel and his canine, which occurred simply south of the Massive Cypress Wildlife Administration Space, could have occurred at completely different instances, Reynaud mentioned.

Officers arrange a fringe and had been utilizing drones to seek for the bear or bears, officers mentioned. Bear traps have been put out within the neighborhood of the place the assault occurred.

DNA was gathered from the scene that ought to assist investigators be taught extra about what occurred, the wildlife fee mentioned.

The bear concerned is prone to be a Florida black bear due to the atmosphere, the company mentioned.

The one sort of bear that naturally lives in Florida is the Florida black bear. There are round 4,050 such bears on the state, the FWC says on its web site.