JEROME — Lab results linked one of three black bears killed by a wildlife officer in southwestern Florida into a fatal attack on a man and his dog a day ago, officials said.
The necrosis results revealed that the 263-pound male bear contained partial bones of 89-year-old Robert Marquell, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee said in a statement. Tests showed that the same bear DNA was present in Markel’s body, in his home, and in his dog’s body.
Wildlife officials have not explicitly said the bear was the one who killed Marquel, but a preliminary autopsy by Collier County Medical Examiner found that Marquel’s cause of death coincided with the bear’s attack.
Marquel was attacked early Monday near his home in a rural area east of Naples, just south of Big Cypress’s wildlife management area.
Wildlife officers set up some traps and cameras. They killed three black bears in the area and sent their bodies to the Gainesville lab. No animals tested positive for rabies, officials said.
Wildlife officials are still investigating the events that led to the attack.
Once threatened, Florida black bears have been increasingly wandering around neighborhoods and private property in recent years, particularly in more rural areas in central Florida.
