Imagine the cruelty of the first black bear hunts allowed in Florida in 10 years with state officials seriously envisioning the use of hunting dogs and feeding stations to lure the bears to an area where it would be easier to kill them?
Allowed are pre baited stations to draw bears to feeding stations to make it easier to kill them, allowed are the use of dogs to chase the bear and tree the bear, allowed are the use of bows to prolong the suffering of the bear..
It was also suggested creating a private “bear harvest” program for landowners with 5,000 or more contiguous acres.
On Wednesday, state officials released proposed rules for the latest planned annual hunt, but not without a ton of opposition.
Animal advocates stated that trophy hunters “could spark a massacre of the species.” The hunt is expected to begin later this year; officials have not specified how many bears would be killed, and it would be based on assessments of the populations in different parts of the state. According to public hearings cited by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission staff members, it has been suggested that 187 bears be hunted between December 6 to December 28, 2025. An earlier hunt in October is also being discussed.
One important detail of the hunt discussed was the management of the hunt and how there have been no planned check-in stations where hunters are required to verify the bear’s killing and if the bear was taken legally.
Working around the need for required stations, state officials suggest that hunters would be required to provide details about the kill within 24 hours. The bodies of the bears would be subject to inspection, but no details have been introduced how that even could be done.
The seven-person committee for the Commission were appointed by Governor DeSantis. A follow-up discussion is planned for next week, but final approval will not be decided until August.
Morgan Richardson, the Commission’s director for hunting and game management provided the following statement to manage the black bear population:
…through a conservative, well-regulated hunt.
Ironically, back in 1974 through 2012, black bears had become a “threatened species” with only a few hundred left in the entire state. Now there are approximately 4,000 black bears with most bear populations found in the center of the state. Unfortunately, the lack of habitat and humans leaving food outdoors and not sealing trash receptacles, continue to bring bears uncomfortably close to neighborhoods.
Perhaps more management from humans would help the bear nuisance problems?
In 2015, a “controlled bear hunt” was scheduled to last a week, but had to be canceled after two days when hunters killed 304 bears – just short of the 320 bear quota. The hunt was extremely controversial after numerous rule violations had been reported; bears killed under the 100-pound minimum weight and another extremely cruel hunt in the killing of a mother bear and her small cubs. At the time, anyone was allowed to pay for a permit and go hunting.
For the first time in the history of Florida, earlier this year, a bear attack killed an 89-year-old man and his dog in Collier County.
Via Bear Defenders:
“Among North America’s land mammals, bears are widely recognized by wildlife biologists as possessing exceptional intelligence. Their advanced problem-solving abilities, emotional complexity, and memory rival that of the great apes. Socially, bears navigate intricate hierarchies and form nuanced relationships, further demonstrating their cognitive and emotional depth.
Please sign and share our petition to stop the Florida black bear trophy hunt. Scroll down on the petition and complete the list of calls to action.
(Photo Credit: Bill Lea)
https://www.change.org/…/stop-the-florida-black-bear…
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