An man and his dog were mauled to death by a black bear in Jerome, Florida. The 89-year-old man's death marks the first fatality attributed to a black bear in state history.

Officials say lab results have connected one of three black bears killed by wildlife officers in southwest Florida to a fatal attack on a man and his dog a day earlier.

A massive black bear, weighing close to 300 pounds, mauled to death an 89-year-old Florida man and his faithful dog — the first deadly attack in Sunshine State history. Robert Markel’s granddaughter called 911 on the morning of May 5,