Collier County, FL – Wildlife officials in Florida are trapping and killing bears in an effort to find the one responsible for fatally mauling an 89-year-old man and a dog near the community of Jerome. The deadly incident happened on Monday morning when a black bear apparently entered Robert Markel’s trailer.
Authorities responding to 911 calls found Markel’s trailer in disarray; the trailer was torn apart but the responding deputies did not find any blood. The elderly man’s wallet and clothes were found approximately 20 yards from the trailer, along with a significant amount of blood. The deceased dog was found in a different area, not far from the trailer.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson George Reynaud commented on the unusual attack, “We do know it was a bear attack. We don’t know if it was the same bear or multiple bears.”
Wildlife officials have killed three bears so far. DNA from the bears is being sent away for testing in an effort to see if one, or more, of them were involved in the deadly attacks.
(Image via Pixabay for representative purposes)
