After a
man and dog died on Monday after a "bear encounter,"
according to deputies, in Collier County off State Road 29 near Copeland, north of Everglades City, this is a reminder of the last known bear attack in Collier County back in 2018.
On the night of Jan. 9, 2018, Andy Meunier was letting his dog out from his home in Naples when he suddenly was only a few feet away from a bear staring him down.
"Everything went in slow motion. It was just as scary as you can imagine," Meunier said. "It was standing in front of me and I tried to turn left real quick and get back in the house, and caught an uppercut from a brown or a black bear."
Meunier received a gash from the bear that ran along the entire left side of his face and required 41 stitches to close.
Although Meunier was knocked to the ground, he managed to scramble to his feet and get back inside his house before the situation got worse.
"Truthfully, I'm not sure how I got out alive," Meunier said.
There had been bears in the neighborhood before, according to Meunier. But despite that, he had never seen one that close.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had placed traps baited with doughnuts around the neighborhood in order to capture the bear responsible for the attack.
"I don't care if this scars or anything, I walked away with my life, and it could've been a whole lot worse," Meunier said.
>>Archive Video Below: Naples man attacked by bear on his lanai in 2018
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