A home surveillance camera captured footage of a man fighting off a bear on his front porch in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The video shows Walter Hickox on his front porch with three dachshunds when a black bear leaps through the doorway towards one of the dogs.
Hickox jumps in to protect his pet and wrestles the bear, which appears to scratch and bites him while pushing it away. He then moves a wooden bench to block the doorway.
The man then runs into the house and can be heard shouting, “oh my god, I was attacked by a bear!”
Hickox told local news outlet WFTV his only thought was protecting his family and pets.
“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 the outlet.
He told WFTV that his dogs were unhurt and that he plans to install a door to close off the porch and keep bear spray nearby.
The incident is the second bear attack in Florida in recent weeks after a woman in DeBary was attacked by a bear while walking her dog.
If a bear enters your yard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission suggests ensuring the animal has an escape path and making loud noises by banging pots and pans.
They also recommend not leaving food out and never approaching or surprising a bear.
