Florida Man: How to fight off a Bear!
Captured on Camera- Florida Man Fights off Black Bear on his Porch to Protect His Dogs
Walter Hickox had a big surprise coming his way. A Black bear stormed his home and attacked him on his porch, in Daytona Beach, Florida
Florida man stepped up and risked his life to save his dogs from a bear attack.
Hickox's quick fight instead of flight reaction saved his dogs from a bear and left him with minor injuries and a great story to tell and be remembered by.
A doorbell camera recorded the incident. Hickox was standing on his porch with his dogs as a bear ran straight at them with no intention to stop. Hickox goes hands-on and scares off the wild predator. He quickly gets the animal out of his porch and pulls a bench in to block it from charging again. The dogs helped by barking as Walter yelled. The bear retreated knowing it was outnumbered.
"I just got attacked by a bear!" the man screams, and then the video ends.
Hickox sustained minor injuries, his furry friends were not hurt
Hickox shared his thoughts with WFTV, admitting, "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."
The FWC has not yet caught the bear as of Thursday, according to the press release.
"FWC bear biologists and law enforcement officers immediately responded to the scene and are attempting to capture the bear," the release states. "Per FWC policy, staff will humanely kill the bear if captured since it poses a threat to human safety."
Just a few days before The Daytona Beach bear attack there was a similar incident in DeBary, Florida. According to an FWC news release a black bear attacked a woman, on the evening of Jan. 13 while she was walking her dog in her neighbourhood.
Luckily she sustained non-life-threatening injuries, as she was tackled by the animal. Her dog was uninjured in the attack.
The Daytona Beach attack was "the second incident of a bear injuring a person within a week's time" after the attack in DeBary, but stated, "these incidents are extremely rare in Florida.", the FWC noted
The Florida black bear, according to the FWC is the only type of bear in the state. The advice of the government agency is to "back away slowly" if you come across a wild bear. Running and climbing trees will not help you escape, as the bears are faster than humans and are excellent tree climbers.
The FWC added: "Bears are wild animals and must be respected. Even though they are typically quiet and shy animals, they have the potential to seriously harm humans".
