A Florida man was caught on camera fighting off a black bear in an attempt to protect his dogs.
Video shows the black bear entering the porch area of the man's Daytona Beach home as his dogs bark in the background.
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The man, initially thinking the bear was a large dog, moved toward the animal to shield his dogs. Upon realizing the animal was actually a bear, the man started making loud noises to drive the bear away, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said on Facebook.
The man can be seen rushing toward the bear and pushing the animal away as the dogs scatter behind him. The man then drags a bench in front of the bear in an attempt to block it from entering the home.
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The FWC said the man sustained non-life threatening injuries after the Jan. 19 incident. The attack happened at 7:30 p.m.
The FWC said while this is the second incident of a bear injuring a person within a week — a Volusia County woman was recently tackled by a bear while walking her dog — bear attacks are still extremely rare in the state of Florida.
FWC officers are still trying to capture the bear in Daytona Beach.
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"Per FWC policy, staff will humanely kill the bear if captured since it poses a threat to human safety," the organization said in a news release.
The dogs were not harmed in the incident.
In the release, the FWC also provided some tips to reduce conflicts between humans and bears.
"To reduce human-bear conflicts, remove or secure all food attractants from around your house and yard, including garbage, pet food and bird seed," the FWC said. "To avoid an encounter between a bear and your dog, bang on your door and flip your house lights on and off to give the bear time to leave the area before letting your dog out."
The FWC added that making noise and fighting back is recommended if the bear makes contact with you or your pet.
"If your dog and a bear get into a fight, make noise and use your bear spray or a water hose if available. If the bear makes contact with you, fight back aggressively."
Bear sightings, attacks and threats can be reported to the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
