A man and his dog were killed Monday morning in a black bear attack near a Florida nature preserve.
The horrifying strike occurred near the rural Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area outside Naples, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said a “bear encounter” was reported around 7 a.m. FWC spokesperson George Reynaud said the attacks occurred “some time apart” since the man and dog were not discovered together.
The victim was identified Monday evening as Robert Markel, 88, a longtime resident of the area.
Reynaud said Markel’s daughter saw the bear attacking the dog and went looking for her father before calling 911.
“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 later Monday.
Wildlife officials are still searching for the bear — or bears — and the incident remains under investigation.
Reynaud said once confirmed, it will be the first recorded fatal bear attack in Florida history.
