In the midst of public safety concerns and complaints, Florida’s ban on black bear hunting might be lifted for the first time in two decades. Several reported bear attacks and an increase in bear sightings have prompted the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission to introduce the possibility of a bear-hunting season. The commission will begin discussing the issue Wednesday.
Proponents of the hunting season have argued that it would help control a growing bear population that is spilling into suburban areas. They also point out that the hunt would only last one week in the fall, and hunters would be prohibited from targeting female bears with cubs.
Still, many people are understandably concerned about this proposal, and I don’t blame them. The hunting season being suggested by state officials could potentially kill 20 percent of the black bear population in Florida — a species that was still considered to be threatened three years ago. Twenty percent is an especially outrageous amount when you consider the ban on bear hunting was implemented for a reason: to protect black bears from becoming threatened again.
What was the point of trying to save black bears from extinction if we were only going to threaten their survival once again?
Instead of talking about reinstating the bear-hunting ban, state officials should be discussing the reasons why this problem arose in the first place: Florida’s irresponsible overdevelopment. We live in a state that is filled with natural beauty, but lawmakers have consistently failed to balance the needs of its growing population with the needs of its wildlife.
Rather than focusing on smart growth and preserving natural habitats, Florida has allowed developers to build subdivisions and strip malls anywhere and everywhere they want.
This has undoubtedly affected Florida’s black bears, which have been forced to find new homes every year as residential and commercial developments take over their habitats. According to Reuters, urban sprawl in central Florida has reached areas near and around the Ocala National Forest. It’s no surprise that black bears have been especially noticeable in this area.
Where are black bears supposed to go if their habitat continues to become smaller and smaller?
Florida’s growing population will only further complicate the issue. We just replaced New York as the third most populous state in the country, which is troubling news — not only for the black bears, but also for the state’s seemingly endless list of endangered and threatened species.
If you look on the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website, you’ll find a depressing number of animals that are currently classified as endangered or threatened, including manatees, panthers, sea turtles, pelicans and owls. If lawmakers fail to create statewide solutions for meeting the current population and development challenges, we are at risk for losing some of the creatures that make Florida unique and beautiful.
In order to help preserve Florida as the paradise that our parents and grandparents knew it to be, we need to demand that state officials make it a priority to preserve the natural habitats we have left and protect Florida’s wildlife. They can start by making sure the ban on black bear hunting stays in place.
Moriah Camenker is a UF public relations senior. Her column appears on Tuesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 2/3/2015 under the headline “Bears shouldn’t be punished for problems with Fla. development"]
