A bear captured by Florida Fish and Wildlife officers may be the same one that killed a man and a dog on Monday near Naples, in Southwest Florida.
The FWC said the bear was captured south of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area along State Road 29. State authorities were waiting Tuesday for DNA test results to see if the animal was responsible for the attack. They pointed out that the man and dog were not killed at the same time and more than one bear may have been involved.
“We do know it was a bear attack. We don’t know if it was the same bear or multiple bears,” George Reynaud, with Florida Fish and Wildlife, told the CBS affiliate in Fort Myers.
Officials were urging local residents in Collier County and visitors to remain on alert. This marks the first ever deadly bear attack on a human in the state, according to state authorities.
The man who died has been identified as 89-year-old Robert Markel, a long-time resident of a small community in Collier County.
Florida’s black bear population on the rise
Florida’s black bear population, once classified as threatened, has rebounded in recent decades. The state has more than 4,000 black bears, according to the FWC.
Bear sightings and interactions with people have become more common, particularly in rural areas of north and central Florida.
The FWC has an interactive bear map to show bear related calls.
