Earlier protection: On Might 5, FWC officers gave the primary public replace on the lethal bear assault that occurred earlier that morning.
JEROME, Fla. (WFLA) — The partial stays of an 89-year-old Florida man had been present in one of many bears Florida Fish and Wildlife officers captured earlier this week following the first deadly bear attack in the state’s history.
In a press launch on Friday, FWC officers stated preliminary findings confirmed {that a} 263-pound male bear contained the stays of Robert Markel, a longtime Collier County resident who was discovered useless Monday morning. The bear’s DNA was discovered on Markel, inside his trailer and on the canine’s physique. The Collier County Medical Examiner continues to be working to finish their investigation.
Investigators stated there was proof indicating a bodily encounter between the bear and Markel close to his trailer, a canine not too long ago killed by a bear close to Markel, and indicators that the bear had entered the trailer itself. Nevertheless, the order of occasions stays unclear, based on the FWC.
Simply after 7 a.m. on Might 5, Markel was found dead nearly 100 yards from his dog in Jerome, situated south of Massive Cypress Wildlife Administration Space. After Markel’s canine was discovered useless within the entrance driveway, a search ensued for the person.
The 911 call from Markel’s granddaughter to the Collier County Sheriff’s Workplace, launched Tuesday, detailed the moments when relations found the 89-year-old lacking from his trailer, together with indicators of disturbances possible attributable to bears. His granddaughter advised operators that the bear had entered his residence whereas he was sleeping.
FWC’s incident report described Markel’s trailer as being in “disarray,” with the mattress and different gadgets scattered all through.
Looking for the wrongdoer, FWC officials trapped and removed three bears, weighing 207, 263, and 434 kilos, within the space on Tuesday and despatched them off to Gainesville for a necropsy and DNA testing. Officers had been uncertain if the identical bear, or a number of attacked, because the deaths occurred at separate instances, they stated Monday.
4 dwell bear traps had been deployed that afternoon. FWC stated that whereas they had been unable to seize the fourth bear, they had been capable of get hold of DNA proof. All three bears efficiently captured matched the DNA discovered on the scene, indicating the presence within the space is remoted to these three.
On Thursday night time, a further bear was briefly noticed within the space however left. FWC stated Jerome has the third-largest bear inhabitants in Florida, with roughly 1,044 bears. Whereas deadly assaults are uncommon, officers urge Floridians to stay vigilant and maintain a protected distance if one is close to.
“We need to thank the household for his or her cooperation as they navigate this difficult time,
and our ideas stay with them,” FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto stated. “I’m pleased with
our workers’s skilled response and help for the household as they confronted an unfathomable
occasion this week.”
Wildlife officers and native regulation enforcement will stay within the space all through the weekend. This stays an ongoing investigation till testing is accomplished and outcomes are completely reviewed.
For extra data on Florida black bears and what to do within the occasion a bear approaches, click on here.
