Video: Man Wrestles With Bear to Protect His Dogs in Florida

A Florida man came face to face with a black bear—and didn’t stand down. A video recorded with a Ring.com doorbell shows a bear charge onto the porch of a home in Daytona Beach. The man, who hasn’t been identified in news reports, engages the bear physically, and after a brief wrestling match, successfully pushes the bruin back off of the porch. He then blocks it from re-entering by using a wooden bench as a barrier. According to the Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC), the man was attempting to protect his dogs when the incident took place on Wednesday, January 19, around 7:30 p.m.

“FWC bear biologists and law enforcement officers immediately responded to the scene and are attempting to capture the bear. Per FWC policy, staff will humanely kill the bear if captured since it poses a threat to human safety,” the agency said in a press release. The FWC also reported that the man received non-life-threatening injuries in the attack but that his dogs were uninjured.

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The FWC estimates that there are 4,050 bears in the Sunshine State. Though bear attacks are rare, this is the second one that took place in Florida within the past week. On Thursday, January 13, a black bear attacked and injured a woman in her driveway in Volusia County—which is the same county where this recent incident took place. The FWC maintains a “Living with Bears” web page that details important info about what to do when living in bear country. “Black bears are normally too shy to risk contact with humans, but their powerful need to find food can overwhelm this fear,” explains the agency. “The FWC is committed to ensuring the long-term well-being of the black bear while addressing property damage and safety concerns of residents and visitors to Florida.”