Everything you know, dogs killed in Jerome, FL

An 89-year-old man and his dog were killed in a suspected black bear attack in Jerome, Florida.
The incident is potentially Florida's first fatal bear attack in recording.
The authorities have conquered a bear near the scene, but they are DNA tests in progress to confirm their participation.

An older man and his dog were killed on May 5 in a black bear attack in the municipality of Collier County in Collier County in Jerome, Florida.

Robert Markel's daughter reports 911 at 7:15 a.m. 911 after seeing how a bear killed her father's dog.

There were no signs of Markel and his motorhome was disordered, with the mattress being scattered throughout the trailer, according to a police report.

According to reports, no blood was found in the motorhome, but Markel's bloody wallet, pants and T-shirt were found about 20 meters away in a forested area.

Markel, 89, from Jerome, was found dead on the property, about 100 meters from the dog. He was probably shaped this morning against the fish and the wild animal officer Jorge Renaud in Florida.

It is the first time that a bear killed a person in Florida's history in Florida, confirmed FWC.

Wildlife officials killed at least three bears near Markel's property, and the officers are working to confirm whether one of these bears was involved in the Maullagen. An autopsy and the examination of other evidence, including DNA analysis, are carried out at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Here is everything you should know about the fatal black bear attack in Florida:

Man and dog of black bear killed in Florida

Florida Fish and Wildlife examined after a man and a dog died in Collier County on May 5, 2025 in a black bear attack south of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management area.

At 7:07 a.m., the Collier County's office received a call about a potential bear that received a call in Jerome, Florida, between Naples and Everglades City on State Road 29 in Jerome, Florida.

When they arrived, the MPs Robert Markel, 89, and his dog had been fatally assigned to Markel's property.

Markel's daughter was witness to the dog, who was fatal and notified by a bear.

Markel's body was found several hundred meters from the dog. Officials believe that he was killed about two hours before the dog's attack.

Markel's Mauling at home were at home alone.

“If there is a loss of life, we are all affected, we are very sorry that this happened,” said Tyson Matthews, public information officer from FWC.

According to reports, officials took DNA samples at the scene. Three bears were killed and pulled out of the nearby forest. Necropsia for the animals and proof tests are still pending.

According to an FWC -E mail, Wildlife officers “secured the area and several traps and cameras were placed in the entire region last night. Three bears were killed by FWC employees. DNA samples from the scene and the three bears were sent for testing to Gainesville, and we will expect these results.”

Where was the bear attack in Florida? Where is Jerome, FL in Collier County?

The fatal bear attack occurred in the small, non -legal collier County community of Jerome, Florida.

Jerome is located south of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management area along State Road 29, about 42 miles southeast of Naples and 13 miles northeast of Everglades City.

Jerome was once the CJ Jones Lumber Mill. In the 1940s, according to Collier County Museum, the mill was the largest steam sawmill in the southeast of the United States. The fire destroyed the mill on December 5, 1956.

Was the bear shot in the fatal attack in Florida? Where?

Three bears were killed and pulled out of the forest area near the deadly mouth.

Officials said the bears were brought to the University of Florida in Gainesville for examination, but could not confirm that one of them was involved in the deaths.

DNA samples were taken from the crime scene and in Gainesville, necropsies are carried out across all bears that are suspected in the attack.

Was Collier County attacked when a person was killed for the first time by a bear in Florida?

Roger Young, Executive Director of FWC, confirmed that Markel and his dog died of bear attacks. The first time in Florida's history that a black bear killed a person.

Are bears in Collier County, Florida, common?

According to the FWC, almost half of Florida Wildbären can be found.

Southwest Florida is one of the “frequent” places where the FWC classifies where black bears can be seen in Florida.

How many bear attacks are there in Florida every year?

Here you will find the documented incidents of FWC with physical contact between a person and a black bear in Florida, except vehicles:

02/15/2025: Silver Springs, Marion County
20.12.2024: Orange City, Volusia County
13.11.2024: Apopka, Orange County
24.11.2023: Pierson, Volusia County
24.11.2023: Oscola National Forest, Baker County
04.04.2023: Bellview, Marion County
9/10/2022: Longwood, Seminole County
07/17/2022: Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County
5/2/2022: Hog Valley, Marion County
04/26/2022: Altoona, Lake County
4/4/2022: Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County
01/22/2022: Altoona, Lake County
19.01.2022: Daytona Beach, Volusia County
01/13/2022: Debary, Volusia County
03.11.2020: Fort Braden, Leon County
3/31/2020: Ocala, Marion County
9/10/2019: Longwood, Seminole County
03/30/2019: Deland, Volusia County
12/24/2018: Fort McCoy, Marion County
May 14th, 2018: Longwood, Seminole County
01/09/2018: Naples, Collier County
09/08/2017: Santa Rosa Beach, Walton County
01/28/2017: Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County
01/29/2016: Apopka, Orange County
10/23/2015: Eastpoint, Franklin County
05.10.2015: Orange City, Volusia County
08/27/2015: Shalimar, Okaloosa County
12/21/2014: Eastpoint, Franklin County
03.12.2014: Lake Mary, Seminole County
4/12/2014: Lake Mary, Seminole County
12/12/2013: Longwood, Seminole County
03/16/2012: Longwood, Seminole County
7/7/2011: Tyndall AFB, Bay County
10/10/2009: Longwood, Seminole County
09/19/2009: Mt. Dora, Lake County
07/25/2009: Longwood, Seminole County
7/12/2009: Ft. Myers, Lee County
2008: Naples, Collier County
11/14/2007: Astor, Lake County
2007: Paisley, Lake County
01/05/2006: Paisley, Lake County
2006: Hog Valley, Marion County

Are Florida black bears aggressive?

Black bears in Florida are usually calm and shy, but have the potential to seriously harm people per FWC.

While it is rare for bears to hurt people in Florida, the people were bitten and scratched by bears who defend themselves, boys or food sources.

According to the FWC: “If a bear feels threatened, you can make your teeth together, moan, blow, stamp the floor or stamp the floor. You can groan you (run towards you and then stop before you reach it.

What to do if you come across a black bear?

FWC recommends the following if you come across a bear in Florida:

If you see a bear from afar:

Enjoy the experience, but do not move to bear when your presence changes the behavior of the bear, you are too close.

If you meet a bear up close:

Stay upright
Talk to the bear in a quiet, assertive voice
Back to a safe area, make sure that you give the bear a clear escape route
Avoid direct eye contact – bears and other animals can see this as aggressive behavior
Hold on and keep your floor when your movement seems to irritate instead of calming the bear

Not:

Make sudden or abrupt movements
Run – running can trigger a chase instinct and bear can sprint up to 35 km / h
Play dead – black bears eat things that play dead or are dead
Climb a tree – black bears can climb up a tree in 30 seconds 100 feet
Approach or surprise a bear, especially one that can be injured

When a black bear attacks it:

Strike back aggressively. People have successfully picked up black bear attacks with stones, sticks or even their bare hands!

Can you shoot a bear in Florida?

The Self Defense Act from 2024 enables bears to be taken without punishments under certain circumstances:

The use of deadly violence to kill a bear if the person “believed reasonably that their action was necessary to avoid an immediate danger of death or serious physical injuries for themselves, a pet or a significant damage to an apartment …”
The FWC will be notified within 24 hours.
You shouldn't “own, sell or dispose of the dead bear or its parts.
FWC sparks the bear.

When was the last Florida bear hunt? Can you hunt black bears in Florida?

Florida is considering the return of a bear hunting to trigger the population.

FWC had three virtual public feedback meetings for the proposed return of Bear Hunt in April.

The draft of the proposal, which is presented to the commissioner, is expected to be ready for public review until Wednesday, May 7th.

The last black bear hunting occurred in 2015. The planned 7-day hunting was closed at the end of the second day after almost 300 bears were killed, with the hunters almost three times the kill border in the Panhandle region.

There was a public outcry about how quickly the bears were killed, and reports about hunters who lured the bears.

Post: Tayeba Hussein, Tomas Rodriguez, Andrew West, Mark H. BickelPresent CA bridgesPresent Naples Daily News, USA Today Network.