DNA confirms that Bär killed the 89-year-old Collier County Man

Collier County, Florida – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed that the DNA of the three killed bears was at the scene of the fatal attack. The agency says a bear has some of the victim's remains with them.

FWC took DNA from three bear officials who were killed on Monday evening and sent them to a laboratory in Gainesville. A fourth bear was not successfully recorded, said the agency.

All three bears were adult men with a weight of 207, 263 and 434 pounds.

In the late Friday afternoon, the agency achieved DNA results and showed one of the bears who killed the 89-year-old Robert Markel. However, the other two bears had DNA at the scene.

“DNA results, which were preserved on Friday, May 9th, positively found that the DNA of the 263 pound man was present on Markel, in his residence and on the body of the dog,” said FWC in an explanation.

Markel's remains were found about 100 meters from his house after family members reported him missing and noticed signs of disorders. Markel's dog was also killed and found about 20 meters from Markel's trailer.

The medical examiner from Collier County indicated that the preliminary cause of Markel's death agreed with injuries caused by a black bear.

“We would like to thank the family for their cooperation while navigating this challenging time, and our thoughts stay with them,” said Rodney Barreto, chairman of FWC. “I am proud of the professional reaction and support of our employees for the family because they were faced with an unfathomable event this week.”

Due to evidence that indicate a physical encounter between a bear and a person, the death of a dog killed by a bear and signs that the bear in Markel's house has gone at home, says FWC that these circumstances require fatal distance.

“The FWC does not make this decision lightly,” said FWC.

Jerome is located in the South Bear Management Unit, which has the third largest population of bears in the state, which will be estimated in 2015 to 1,044. According to demographic analysis, the population has a positive annual growth rate.

While it is rare for wild black bears to violate people in Florida, FWC has documented 42 incidents in which Wilde Schwarzbären have contacted physical contact since the 1970s. Three of these led to serious injuries that required medical help before this incident.

The Wildlife Alert Hotline of the FWC under 888-404-FWCC (3922) can be contacted if someone feels threatened by a bear.

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