Authorities were searching for the responsible animal after a Florida man and his dog were found dead on suspicion of a bear attack on Monday, wildlife officials said.
Robert Markel, 89, was found dead with a dog at his home near the Jerome community in Collier County after authorities were called shortly after 7am, according to George Raynaud, a spokesman for the Florida Fish Conservation Commission.
He and his dogs have been found in various areas within hundreds of yards, Raynaud told reporters.
“We know it’s a bear attack. We don’t know if it’s the same bear and multiple bears,” he said.
Raynaud said attacks on Marquel and his dogs, which occurred just south of the large Cypress wildlife management area, could have happened at various times.
Officials had set up boundaries and used drones to search for bears and bears, officials said. The bear traps are placed near where the attack occurred.
According to the Wildlife Commission, DNA should help investigators learn more about what happened.
The bears involved are likely to become Florida black bears because of the environment, the agency said.
The only type of bear that lives in nature in Florida is the Florida black bear. There are around 4,050 such bears in the state, the FWC said on its website.
