A Florida man and his dog mauled to death by a massive black bear
An 89-year-old Florida man, Robert Markel, and his faithful dog were recently mauled to death by a 263-pound black bear on May 5. This tragic incident, the first of its kind in state history, occurred outside Markel’s camper in Jerome, about 70 miles south of Fort Myers.
Markel’s granddaughter called 911 after witnessing the bear attacking her dad’s dog. By the time Collier County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, the dog had already been killed. Markel was missing, but his remains were later found 100 yards from the camper.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission discovered the bear’s DNA inside the camper and on the dog’s corpse. Three bears were located in the area and were euthanized for DNA testing to identify the culprit responsible for the fatal attack. Markel’s remains were found in one of the bear’s stomach.
Authorities are still investigating the sequence of events to determine if Markel was killed before his dog. This incident marks the second bear mauling in Florida this year.
According to officials, this incident is a rare occurrence, with only 42 documented cases of wild black bears making physical contact with people since the 1970s when records began. The FWC receives an average of 6,300 bear-related calls annually.
