88-year-old man and dog killed in Florida bear attacks, officials say
JEROME, Fla. -- An 88-year-old man and a dog were killed in apparently separate bear attacks near the victim's home in Florida, officials said.
The Collier County Sheriffs Office said it received a call shortly after 7 a.m. Monday involving a "bear encounter."
The incident was reported in the area of State Road 29 and U.S. 41 near Jerome, just south of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area, a conservation area, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
The attacks occurred "some time apart" on Monday, and the man and the dog were found within a couple of hundred yards of the area, according to FWC spokesperson George Reynaud.
The victim was identified as Robert Markel, a longtime resident of the Jerome area. Officials believe his daughter called 911 to report the attack, Reynaud said.
His daughter saw a bear attack the dog and then went looking for her father, who is believed to have been attacked earlier on Monday, Reynaud said.
"We do know it was a bear attack. We don't know if it was the same bear or multiple bears," Reynaud said at a press briefing Monday evening.
Once the investigation is confirmed, this would mark the first documented fatal bear attack in the state's history, Reynaud said.
The animal would most likely be a Florida black bear, based on the region, FWC spokesperson Tyson Matthews said at a press briefing earlier Monday.
Markel had been alone with the dog at the residence, and there are several other residences within the property, FWC officials said.
The FWC warned residents and visitors that the animal may still be in the area as authorities worked to locate it and secure the perimeter.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we urge residents and visitors to remain vigilant, and avoid the area," the FWC said.
Drones are involved in the search for the animal. The FWC said it has deployed four bear traps in the vicinity of the attack in an attempt to catch the bear.
The FWC is investigating the incident.
