A bear attack in Collier County resulted in the deaths of 89-year-old Robert Markel and his dog, marking the first fatal bear attack in the state's history.
Now, DNA testing is underway to identify the bear involved.
Adam Stern, who runs the University of Florida Veterinary Forensic Sciences Laboratory, explained the process of testing bear DNA, noting its similarity to human DNA testing.
"We're going to we're actually scraping inside their cheeks, to get the skin cells that are in your cheek. And we will use that," Stern said. "We received a variety of samples on Monday, and we have some environmental samples from the scene itself. For example, maybe from some blood that was at the scene. We have some clothing as well. And so we're going to go through all of that and then collect samples off of it to get those analyzed."
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been on the scene since the victim's grandson called 911.
FWC reported that they killed three male bears weighing 207, 263, and 434 pounds, and collected hair from a fourth bear on the scene for testing.
The DNA test results from the University of Florida in Gainesville are expected soon, and the bears that were killed are currently at another FWC facility.
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