Man bitten by bear while defending his dog from attack, Florida officials say

A bear went after a dog in a Florida backyard, then attacked a man who stepped in to save his pet, authorities said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the homeowner was letting his dog out in his fenced-in backyard in the Florida Panhandle on May 15 when the bear started chasing the dog back toward the house.

The man intervened, and the bear bit him on his left leg, officials said.

In the 911 call obtained by WEAR, the 45-year-old man told operators the bear charged him again after biting him, so he kicked the bear in the face, picked up his dog and ran inside.

He said he was bleeding profusely and couldn’t move.

Authorities said the bear left the Gulf Breeze property, prompting a search for the animal responsible. FWC officers are placing a bear trap on the man’s property in case it comes back.

“Following the FWC’s Human-Bear Conflict Response Policies and Guidelines, this bear will be humanely killed, if captured, in the interest of protecting the public,” officials said. “Relocation is not a viable option with a bear that has become a public safety risk, as relocated bears could move on to put another community at risk.”

The attack comes less than two weeks after Florida’s first fatal bear attack on record, McClatchy News reported. A 263-pound black bear entered a home and killed a man and a dog in rural Collier County in southwest Florida.

“Please contact the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922 if you feel threatened by a bear; observe a sick, injured, dead or orphaned bear; or to report someone who is either harming bears or intentionally feeding them,” FWC personnel said.

The only bear species found in Florida is the black bear, according to the state wildlife agency.

Gulf Breeze is part of the Pensacola metropolitan area.

This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Man bitten by bear while defending his dog from attack, Florida officials say."