Gulf Breeze bear attack is the first since 2017. Here's a look at the numbers – Pensacola News Journal

A Gulf Breeze man was attacked by a black bear while attempting to protect his dog two weeks, and two weeks ago an 89-year-old man and his dog were killed by a bear in Collier County.
Black bear encounters in Florida have increased over the past decade, coinciding with a population explosion that has prompted state wildlife officials next week to hear a proposal for an annual “limited-entry” black bear hunt – the first since 2015.
The uptick in black bear encounters hasn’t resulted in a dramatic increase in bear-related attacks, however.
In the past two decades, there have only been 42 reports of physical contact with bears in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The attack in Collier County is the first bear-related death ever reported in the state.
If a person were forced to come into contact with a bear but they could choose the species, the Florida black bear would probably be at the top of the list. They tend to be skittish scavengers more interested in what’s inside a garbage can than anything else.
Black bears are still wild animals, however, and they can be very dangerous. It’s always best to keep your distance whenever possible.
The FWC says that it’s fine to watch a bear from a safe distance if it is:
It’s time to find a safe place to go if the bear isn’t afraid of loud noises, if it’s eating garbage or if it’s protecting its cubs or food.
A bear should be considered threatening if it’s trying to approach you or a pet, if it’s trying to enter buildings and if it’s eating garbage or other unnatural food sources when people are nearby.
Bear encounters aren’t just a North Florida thing, there are hot spots as far south as Fort Myers and Naples. The FWC estimates that there are more than 4,000 black bears in Florida. The eastern Florida Panhandle, Central Florida and South Florida are hot spots for black bears.
The FWC has no record of any bear attacks within Pensacola or Escambia County, but it’s not the first one reported in Gulf Breeze.
In 2017, a Gulf Breeze man received non-life-threatening injuries in a bear attack similar to Thursday’s. According to reports, the man was swatted by a bear when he went to check on his dog after seeing it had been injured. The dog made a full recovery.
There have been four other reported incidents of physical contact with bears in neighboring Okaloosa and Walton counties. Three of the four involved dogs.
Florida has seen a sharp rise in the number of bear-related calls over the past 20 years. Last year, the FWC received 5,689 calls about bears, which is an astonishing 196.5% increase from the number reported in 2005 (1,919). Over the past 10 years, Florida has had a mean average of about 5,809 bear-related calls every year.
Northwest Florida, which spans from the Pensacola area to Jefferson County, made up about 40% of those calls, according to FWC data. About 70% of those calls are general interactions, like a sighting or spotting a bear digging through garbage. Only 2% of the calls were about public safety incidents.
Living in bear country doesn’t mean you should be interacting with them. The FWC has a list of ways to deter bears from approaching your property.
Encountering a bear from a distance is usually a good time to enjoy the experience, according to FWC. However, you shouldn’t approach the bear. Begin to take the following steps if the bear’s behavior changes based on your presence:
Here’s what the FWC says you shouldn’t do:
The FWC says that you should aggressively fight back if a black bear attacks you. People have successfully fended off black bear attacks using simple tools like rocks and sticks or even their bare hands.
No, do not play dead if you encounter a black bear. As stated above, that could be more of an invitation for further investigation from the bear.
Black bears are protected by law and it’s illegal to shoot them without an FWC-issued hunting license or depredation permit unless it is to protect a human life. Florida currently have an open-regulated bear hunting season at this time.

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