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Four people have been injured in bear attacks in
Florida since 2012, mostly in the central part of the state
built on former bear habitat near the Ocala National Forest.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, meeting
on Wednesday in Jacksonville, plans to discuss reopening bear
hunting season as a way to manage the population, which animal
rights advocates oppose as unnecessary and unpopular.
Most encounters between people and bears result from homeowners
leaving food out in the open, enticing bears to come into their
neighborhoods, the state wildlife agency said in a report
describing the current situation.
"A hunt will not solve the problem. People can solve it," said
Laurie Macdonald, director of the Florida chapter of the
Defenders of Wildlife.
Wildlife officers continue to study recent growth in the Florida
black bear population, now being counted for the first time
since 2002, when the number stood at about 3,000.
Scott Davis, vice president of the Central Florida Dog Hunters
and Sportsmans Association, said he believes the problem is
exacerbated by too many bears.
"They're getting pushed out of their natural area due to their
overpopulation," Davis said. "That's what's pushing them to the
neighborhoods."
Of 41 states where black bears are found, 32 allow them to be
hunted, according to the wildlife agency report. Florida black
bears are a local subspecies that was nearly killed off before
hunting was banned.
The Humane Society of the United States on Tuesday released a
survey finding that 61 percent of voters oppose a trophy bear
hunt season, while just 25 percent are in favor, according to a
news release.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents agreed that people who live
in traditional bear territory have a responsibility to use
bear-proof garbage cans.
A field test conducted by Florida wildlife officers found
human-bear conflicts were reduced by 95 percent when residents
used bear-proof cans, according to the agency's report.
"Hunters won't be in the neighborhoods. They'll be killing bears
deep in the woods that are not a problem," said Kate MacFall,
the humane society's Florida director.
(Editing by Letitia Stein and Sandra Maler)
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