An 88-year-old man and his canine had been killed Monday in what officers imagine had been two separate black bear assaults close to the sufferer’s dwelling in rural Collier County, Florida. Officers investigating the incident say they know that a number of bears had been concerned, making this the primary deadly black bear assault ever recorded within the state. The assault comes simply weeks earlier than the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee will vote on a proposal to reinstate a regulated bear searching season for the primary time since 2015.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Workplace acquired a 911 name round 7 a.m. Monday from the sufferer’s daughter, in keeping with ABC Information. She had reportedly seen a black bear maul the household canine, and he or she later discovered the physique of her father, recognized as Robert Markel, a number of hundred yards from the canine’s carcass. The assaults occurred on the household’s property in Jerome south of the Massive Cypress Nationwide Protect.
“We do understand it was a bear assault. We don’t know if it was the identical bear or a number of bears,” FWC officer George Renaud mentioned at a press convention on Monday afternoon. “Right now, we’ve deployed 4 dwell bear traps across the neighborhood the place the incident occurred in an try and seize this bear.”
Shortly earlier than 9 p.m. Monday, officers hauled at the least one lifeless bear out of the woods close to the location of the mauling — after a collection of loud pops had been heard. The carcass was transported to Gainesville for testing, in keeping with Naples Every day Information. Authorities are working to find out if a number of bears had been concerned.
The FWC estimates the present black bear inhabitants across the state to be 4,036 animals, a big comeback for the species because the Seventies, when just a few hundred referred to as the Sunshine State dwelling. Massive Cypress Nationwide Protect has an estimated 1,000 black bears, making it dwelling to one of many largest bear populations in Florida. Latest inhabitants projections recommend greater than 11,000 black bears may very well be on the Florida panorama by 2026 if left unmanged.
That rebound has include penalties. Bear-related calls to the FWC have elevated 42 % since 2016, with residential space encounters changing into extra frequent. Since 2006, the FWC has recorded 42 “incidents of bodily contact” between individuals and black bears, lots of which had been minor. Canines had been concerned in 67 % of these encounters, typically triggering a response from a bear. Although nonetheless uncommon contemplating Florida’s sizable human inhabitants, bear-human conflicts are rising.
It’s in opposition to this backdrop that the FWC is contemplating bringing again a bear searching season for the primary time in a decade. The proposed 23-day season would happen in December with a statewide harvest quota of 187 bears.
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Opposition to bear searching stays sturdy amongst many residents of the Sunshine State. A 2022 statewide ballot commissioned by Humane World for Animals (previously the Humane Society of the USA) discovered that 78 % of Floridians oppose “trophy searching” of black bears. The survey included 1,056 probably voters – a small pattern in comparison with Florida’s 14 million registered voters.
A draft of FWC’s remaining bear hunt proposal is predicted Wednesday. The fee can be anticipated to vote on the proposal at a gathering scheduled for Could 21 to 22 in Ocala.