An open letter to the 3,200 people hoping to kill bears over the next week

bears black

Dear Bear Hunters,

It’s strange to me that you consider killing living things a sport. That you smile over the carcass of a once-living thing and revel in your kill both shocks and offends me.

Killing animals for food is one thing – cows are cute, but I love me some steak – but to do it for “sport” just seems sick.

But even though I don’t get it, I do understand that there is a time and a place for hunting. Allowing for regulated hunting seasons can effectively control nuisance animals.

I don’t blame you, hunter. You’ve been told the Florida black bear is a nuisance animal. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told you the bear population had come booming back since being removed from the endangered species list.

They told you people were being attacked because bears were encroaching into neighborhoods.

What you may not have been told, you 3,200 hunters who have received permits to hunt these once endangered animals, is that it’s their land that’s been encroached.

In our effort to grow and grow and grow, we’ve eliminated about 82 percent of bears’ habitat.

But what’s done is done. Growing populations need shopping malls and cookie cutter homes on picturesque cul-de-sacs. I get it.

But hunters, did you know there are ways to control these populations and keep human-bear interactions from being a nuisance?

To control the populations, we could shoot the bears not with lethal bullets, but with darts containing birth control hormones to limit the number of bears that reproduce.

To keep them from our neighborhoods and parks that abut rural land, we could better secure our trash. Ever been to the mountains? The cardinal rule at any cabin rental is to secure the lids on outdoor trash.

See, while you’re looking for a hunt, they’re just looking for food. Make them have to find it elsewhere – where there aren’t humans – and the problem is addressed.

And here’s the other thing, hunters: We’re not even really sure how many bears there are in Florida. Did you know that the last time a population survey was done was in 2002?

So, when FWC commissioners tell you there are 3,500, we don’t actually know that’s the case. And here’s the other interesting thing: There will be a survey next year.

Why not tuck away your guns and crossbows until we know for sure whether the population has truly rebounded? There are plenty of other nuisance animals you could go after. I hear wild boar are quite pesky.

The commission set a limit for 320 kills during the next week. That means only 10 percent of those who purchased a permit will find their “prize.” While there will be 33 stations throughout the hunting zones established and fines associated with not reporting a kill, how do we know that threshold will be honored?

And consider this, a good chunk of the FWC Commission is composed of land developers. They ignored 40,000 comments against the hunt. And 75 percent of all comments made in regards to hunting bears were opposed to it.

Do you really think it’s a good idea to go forward with this?

Consider this a last-minute plea. Don’t go hunting an animal fresh off the endangered species list when we don’t have all the facts or data when a completely biased group made the decision.

And hunters, if you disagree and ignore my plea, please consider urging the FWC to use the proceeds from this ill-advised sanction to unnecessarily kill bears for humane ways of dealing with bear attacks.

With 3,200 permits issued, about $300,000 has poured into the state. It’s blood money, for sure. But perhaps it can do some good by being used to promote actual conservation.

Signed,

Compassionate, Rational Human Being

Janelle Irwin Taylor

Janelle Irwin Taylor has been a professional journalist covering local news and politics in Tampa Bay since 2003. Most recently, Janelle reported for the Tampa Bay Business Journal. She formerly served as senior reporter for WMNF News. Janelle has a lust for politics and policy. When she’s not bringing you the day’s news, you might find Janelle enjoying nature with her husband, children and two dogs. You can reach Janelle at [email protected].


5 comments

  • Compassionate, Rational Human Hunter

    October 23, 2015 at 5:17 pm

    Your empathy for animals is understandable. However, humans do occupy land that was once forest. If think its a tough sell to get millions of people to give up their property so animals can have it back, but you can always try.

    In the meantime, it seems prudent that we protect our children from being attacked, and that will happen if the bear population is allowed to grow unchecked.

    The hunters are keeping nature in balance, and paying the FWS to do it. We should be thanking them for maintaining the balance of nature.

    • NUWC Wildlife

      October 24, 2015 at 5:23 am

      After hundreds of bears are killed, will you actually stop watching over your children, pets or securing your trash? We would hope not; we hope you realize this hunt is about money & recreation. It is not removing ALL bears (it only takes one, ya know)
      And we all know and it’s been clearly stated – Hunting bears DOES NOT REDUCE HUMAN CONFLICTS! So stop implying or believing otherwise, for the sake of your children you fear for.

    • Aymee Chantelle Laurain

      June 6, 2016 at 7:24 am

      This isn’t a matter of imbalance. It’s a matter of US Forestry making deals within our national parks. Habitat is being converted at such a massive and rapid rate it is driving wildlife from what was once densely forested areas to urban areas. This creates nuisance calls however, it does not put children at high risk. Bears are not aggressive animals and they are not apex predators as come people think. They are simply looking for food. The recent population count can be described as a series of extrapolated numbers. We need to recognize this and hold our government accountable for negligence, intentionally misleading, and for violating the public trust doctrine.

    • NUWC wildlife

      June 6, 2016 at 10:00 am

      Protect children? The hunting accident statistics of how many kids are injured/ killed during hunting accidents are MULTIPLE times more than bear altercations. There are more children-related hunting accidents in a week than there are black bear attacks on children ever in history.

      Let’s stop ignoring actual facts and propagating ignorant fear and false hype. You want to kill bears, have the balls to own it. But stop lying to advance your own agenda.

  • NUWC Wildlife

    October 24, 2015 at 5:20 am

    Corrections: THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT OR FINE FOR NOT REPORTING A BEAR HIT BUT NOT TRACKED & FOUND! (per Diane at FWC)

    FALSE: KILLING/ REMOVING NUISANCE ANIMALS DOES NOT WORK – IT’S A TEMPORARY BAND-AID.

    YOUR STEAK COW? IS PART OF WHAT IS ENCROACHING ON BEAR/ WILDLIFE HABITAT, via PUBLIC GRAZING ALLOWED TO RANCHERS. Your steak IS to blame.

    Otherwise, thank you for the letter and effort. Now please report on how much this hunt COST the FWC and where ALL monies came from and will go, not just the gross income.

Comments are closed.


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