The Florida Wildlife Commission is investigating a bear attack that left a Collier County man and a dog dead on Monday.
Arielle Callender, Public Information Director, FWC South Region, issued the following statement shortly after 1 p.m. Monday:
"The FWC is actively investigating a suspected fatal wildlife attack, that's been reported to involve a bear, near Jerome in Collier County. The incident occurred in the area of State Road 29 and U.S. 41, just south of Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area. Preliminary information notes that the attack resulted in the death of a man and a dog."
Callender said the animal involved may still be in the area with FWC continuing efforts to secure the perimeter. She acknowledged that traps had been placed.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we urge residents and visitors to remain vigilant, and avoid the area," she said. "Do not approach or attempt to track wildlife. Law enforcement and FWC personnel are working to locate the animal and ensure public safety."
Callender said that more information will be released as the investigation continues.
There have been no confirmed and documented human fatalities by bear in Florida to date, with the investigation in question still ongoing, an FWC official confirmed. Comprehensive records were first kept by the agency in the 1970s.
While it is rare for bears to injure people in Florida, people have been bitten and scratched by bears defending themselves, cubs, or food sources, the FWC said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has documented that physical contact between black bears and humans.
Since recording keeping began, the FWC has recorded 42 incidents of black bear-human involvement with injuries. Including two such incidents in Collier County, 2008 and 2018, and one in Lee, 2019.
In many of those instances, such as the fatal incident this morning, the human was accompanied by a canine, FWC statistics show.
In 2022, a woman walking her dog was attacked and injured by a bear, one of six such incidents that year — the most in any one year — FWC statistics showed.
The attack came in January of that year in DeBary, a city north of Orlando.
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