Florida man gets 41 stitches after bear attack

NAPLES, FLORIDA — Andy Meunier is lucky to be alive after being attacked outside his South Florida home on Tuesday night.

Meunier says he was letting his dog out when he spotted the bear just feet away.

"Everything went in slow motion. It was just as scary as you can imagine," Meunier told ABC affiliate WZVN. "It was standing in front of me and I tried to turn left real quick and get back in the house, and caught an uppercut from a brown, or a black, bear."

That punch left him with a huge gash on the side of his face. It took 41 stitches to close him up. Meunier says the bear had knocked him down but he was able to get back inside the home to safety.

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"Truthfully, I'm not sure how I got out alive," Meunier said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is now trying to bait the bear by setting up traps with donuts around the neighborhood.

"I don't care if this scars, or anything, I walked away with my life, and it could've been a whole lot worse," Meunier said.

According to ABC 7, this was the first human injury caused by a bear in South Florida.