Florida Sees First Fatal Black Bear Attack as State Mulls Reopening Hunting Season

On Monday morning, 89-year-old Robert Markel was fatally attacked by a black bear near his home in Jerome, Florida.

Markel’s daughter called authorities around 7:15 a.m. to report that she couldn’t find her father after witnessing a bear killing his dog. Rangers arrived at the area shortly after and found Markel’s body a couple of hundred yards away from the dog.

“We do know it was a bear attack. We don’t know if it was the same bear or multiple bears,” said George Reynaud, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

According to apress release, the FWC set multiple traps and cameras in the area that night. The FWC then killed three bears and is currently conducting DNA tests to determine if any of the bears were involved in the attack. While the FWC is continuing to monitor bear activity, they encourage people to remain vigilant and avoid the area for the time being.

Over the last 20 years, Florida has recorded43 bear attacks(excluding vehicle collisions). Most of them involved a dog, and many were with a sow and cubs. However, this is the first fatal bear attack in the state’s history.

Meanwhile, Florida is currentlydebating reopening a black bear hunting seasonthis year with a proposed 187 tags to be filled. Black bear hunting was regulated in Florida from the 1930s until 1994. Hunting was then closed until 2015 when a season opened up in the fall, but no hunting seasons have been opened since.

According to the2019 Black Bear Management Plan, the main objective of opening a hunting season is to maintain a healthy species population for suitable habitat. With over 4,000 bears in the state and more human-bear conflicts on the rise, a recent survey of the state shows that 62% of the population is in favor of a highly-regulated black bear season.

FWC has recently hosted aseries of public meetingson the matter. The commission will bepresented with a plan for the huntat the meeting on May 21-22, and then will vote on it during their August meeting.

Florida isn't the only southern state turning back to hunting as a means of managing black bears. In 2021,Missouri reopened its black bear season. And last year,Louisiana opened a limited black bear seasonfor the first time since 1992.

Shop