Wildlife officials in Florida are urging citizens to try and avoid bear encounters after a second individual was attacked in the past week.
Authorities said a black bear injured a man living in Daytona Beach on Wednesday, WFTV reported Friday.
A home surveillance camera recorded the moment Walter Hickox was attacked while on his porch, trying to protect his pet dog from the bear.
The clip showed the animal enter the enclosed porch and the man leaning down to try and push it back outside.
Once the bear was outside, he pulled a bench in front of the doorway to block it from entering again:
WPLG reported the man was bitten and was undergoing rabies treatment.
Hickox explained he was not concerned about his own safety but simply wanted to protect his family members.
“Not a lot went through my head at the moment, other than what’s going to happen if he gets past me and into the house where the rest of my dogs and my wife was at,” he recalled.
Hickox’s dog was not injured during the incident.
Now he is planning to install a door on the porch and have bear spray close at hand.
As of Friday morning, the bear had not been caught.
Last week, a woman in DeBary was hurt by a bear as she walked her dog.
Video footage from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office showed deputies at the scene and the woman with what appeared to be blood on her face:
To avoid encountering a bear, officials said not to leave food out where they can get to it. If one does approach, officers advised people to make loud sounds and try to frighten it away.
“Bears respond to people as they would other bears. Understanding the various responses and ways bears communicate can help people to coexist with bears,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website read.
They are relatively quiet animals, but sometimes make noises to communicate.
“A bear that feels threatened does not roar or growl. They may slap the ground, ‘huff’ or blow air forcefully through their nose or mouth, and snap or ‘pop’ their teeth together,” the agency said.
“If these behaviors don’t scare off the source of their unease, the bear may bluff charge, running toward the source and then veer away,” it added.
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