As more homes and buildings are built, the land that wild animals live on becomes smaller and smaller, leading to more interactions between them and people. And usually, not the friendly kind.
For one Florida man, his evening took a dangerous turn when he heard noises coming from his back porch.
Amid the barking of his family’s dogs, Walter Hickox ran out into the enclosed porch to see what was making them so frantic. What he saw stopped him for one quick moment: it was a black bear.
Ring doorbell footage shows the bear bursting through the porch door and into the room. Jumping toward the bear, Hickox screams at it, fighting it back toward the door and outside, with the dogs barking the entire time.
Walter Hickox fights a black bear that burst into his home.
Grabbing a nearby bench, Hickox shoves it in front of the open door, stopping the bear in its tracks.
In the video, you can hear him yell, “I just got attacked by a bear,” before it cuts off.
According to Fox 35 News, the bear scratched Hickox’s back and his shoulder, while his dog and the rest of his family were fine.
Hickox’s injuries were mild after fighting off a bear that broke into his home. Photo by Hickox.
He told the news outlet that during the attack, little but panic was going through his head. “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.”
Hickox told reporters:
I pushed a little, shoved, and he backed off the porch. Got them [the dogs] off the porch, and he disappeared into the darkness.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said the bear has not been located yet. “FWC bear biologists and law enforcement officers immediately responded to the scene and are attempting to capture the bear,” an FWC news release said. “Per FWC policy, staff will humanely kill the bear if captured since it poses a threat to human safety.”
The FWC said that Florida only has the Florida black bear. “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,” the FWC added.
This is the second time in one week that a person has been injured by a bear attack. Another Florida resident was attacked while walking her dog. Both she and the dog escaped, with the woman receiving only minor injuries.
You can watch the dramatic Ring footage below.
