With one person dead from a possible bear attack in Collier County as recently as May 5, this is no idle or academic concern. This rare incident highlights the need for public education on human-wildlife interactions in Florida, especially considering Florida’s robust and increasing population of black bears. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding this attack. In doing so, they’ve so far failed to clarify what type of bear was implicated.
Even when taking all this into consideration, the chances of experiencing a bear attack stay incredibly slim. In 2024, the World Animal Foundation released some shocking facts. The odds of dying from a bear attack are roughly 1 in 2.1 million! There are only an average of 40 bear attacks worldwide each year, leading to two or three deaths. In the United States, non-provoked bear attacks that lead to human deaths are almost unheard of. Indeed, per the North American Bear Center, fewer than 1 fatality occurs from such attacks annually.
Historical Context of Bear Attacks in Florida
Still, a disproportionate number of recent bear attacks have occurred in Florida. On January 9, 2018, one lucky man survived a black bear attack while working in his North Naples backyard. Earlier that night, he had just been trying to take his dog out when the incident occurred. This injury wreaked havoc on his life, giving the man a large scar from the impact. Temperature and humidity records indicate that the last attack happened without the benefit of a dog on board in March of 2020. That event was a big inflection point.
Since November 2020, at least 15 dog-related bear attacks have occurred in Florida. This pattern indicates that dog-bear encounters are likely to be more aggressive, as dogs can trigger defending behavior from bears. With these incidents brought to light, state officials are increasingly coming under pressure to respond appropriately.
Proposed Measures to Manage Bear Population
Wildlife officials in Florida hosted three virtual public comment sessions in April. They wanted to help calm growing fears over human-bear encounters and debate the planned return of a state bear hunt. We anticipate this draft proposal will be available for public review by May 7. It will finalize its proposals to permit the killing of up to 55 bears across Lee, Collier, and Hendry counties. According to state officials, there are more than 4,000 black bears now living in Florida.
The last bear hunt in Florida was a decade ago. It came to an end after hunters slaughtered close to 300 bears in just 48 hours. This legacy of distrust has resulted in significant public outrage and examination over the management of Florida’s black bear population.
Leave a Reply