Bear protecting cubs picks up couple’s dog and runs off with it, Florida officials say

A couple’s dog was killed in a terrifying encounter with a bear near Navarre, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

It happened Monday, July 18, and involved “an adult female black bear with young,” state officials told McClatchy News. Navarre is on the Florida Panhandle, about 23 mile east of Pensacola.

The bear “picked up a dog and ran off before dropping it,” FWC officials said. “Unfortunately, the dog died from its injuries.”

An effort to capture the bear and relocate it to a lesser-populated area is underway, the state said.

“It is rare for bears to injure or kill pets in Florida. Of the 5,000 to 6,000 bear-related calls we receive statewide each year, only 3% involve a bear encounter with domestic animals (e.g., dogs, chickens, pigs),” state officials said.

“In this case, we believe the female bear was being protective of her young and viewed the dog as a threat.”

Rusty Wildman and Shawn Barlow Wildman say their 6-year-old Chihuahua was attacked “right outside their home” around 5 p.m., according to WKRG. The three bears entered the backyard from a wooded area, the station said.

Shawn Barlow Wildman believes it wasn’t the mother bear that killed her dog, but “about a 200-pound thigh-high cub.”

“The momma bear was in the lead retreating,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

“It is a matter of time before it’s a kid or elderly person. Wild animals that have lost the fear of humans will become a deadly game ... plain and simple.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 8:20 AM with the headline "Bear protecting cubs picks up couple’s dog and runs off with it, Florida officials say."