Home surveillance footage from Florida shows a man springing into action against a black bear attempting to enter his porch Wednesday night, wrestling the animal to protect his family.
WATCH:
This brave man jumps in to save his dog from being attacked by a bear! 😮🐻🐕#viralhog #wildlife #bear #brave pic.twitter.com/17fmeK1bNR
— ViralHog (@ViralHog) January 21, 2022
“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 said, according to WFTV. Hickox was hurt but the dog in the video was uninjured.
Hickox also stated that from now on he intends to put a door onto the outside portion of the porch, while keeping a bottle of bear spray on-hand, WFTV reported. (RELATED: Bicyclist Survives Bear Bite To The Leg After Kicking The Animal)
The bear that attempted to enter Hickox’s porch has not yet been captured, according to WFTV.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) advises residents not to leave out food in order to “reduce negative interactions with bears and other wildlife.” Dogs especially can trigger defensive reactions in bears, according to the FWC.
In August of 2021, a grizzly bear attacked a 55-year-old tourist in Alaska. The tourist was able to fend off the grizzly with bear spray, but suffered “puncture wounds to his calf, left ribs, and left shoulder.”
A grizzly killed a Montana camper after wandering into a campsite in July of 2021. There have been increased reports of human and bear interactions as the population of the species continues to grow following the classification of bears as federally protected since 1975.