Massive black bear mauls elderly Florida man and his dog to death

A massive black bear, weighing close to 300 pounds, is believed to have recently mauled to death an 89-year-old Florida man and his faithful dog — the first such killing in state history.Robert Markel’s granddaughter called 911 on the morning of May 5, after seeing a 263-pound bear killing her dad’s dog right outside his camper, situated on her property in Jerome — about 70 miles south of Fort Myers.The dog was dead by the time Collier County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene, according to the Naples Daily News.And Markel was nowhere to be found.It wouldn’t be long though before his remains were located 100 yards from the camper.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found some of the killer bear’s DNA inside the camper and on the dog’s corpse.Officials searched the area and found three bears, which they fatally shot and are testing for DNA to identify which was responsible for the horrific killings.

They found some of Markel’s remains in one of the bear’s stomach.Police are still trying to determine if Markel was killed prior to his dog.“The FWC receives an average of 6,300 bear-related calls annually and has documented 42 prior incidents where wild black bears have made physical contact with people since the 1970s, when comprehensive records began being kept,” authorities explained.The May 5 incident marks the second bear mauling in Florida this year....