Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson
Some sad news to report. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted to reopen a trophy hunt on the Florida black bear. These bears continue to face serious threats to their survival, and I’m ashamed of my state’s elected officials who care more about appeasing lobbyists for the hunting industry than sticking to basic values of kindness and compassion.
Kate MacFall, Florida state director for The Humane Society of the United States said:
“By sanctioning a trophy hunt on bears in lieu of effective solutions on human-bear conflicts, the FWC has ignored sound science, responsible wildlife management and the majority of Floridians who oppose a hunt on this highly vulnerable and rare sub-species of bear, found nowhere else in the world outside its range. We will continue to oppose this hunt, not only because it is unjustified, but also because it is likely that cruel and inhumane practices like hounding and baiting will be added in the near future.”
I thank the 100,000 of you who signed my petition and all those who spoke out on the ground in Florida — it’s truly more support than I ever expected. Despite this campaign not resulting in a win, I am moved knowing how much momentum we have to continue the movement for animal welfare.
Here is an article with more details of the vote: http://whtc.com/news/articles/2015/jun/24/black-bears-in-the-cross-hairs-of-florida-wildlife-agency/
Exposing the Big Game 
We could hardly expect anything else. It seems fish and wildlife services are almost always the lackeys of the gun and hunting groups. The anti-gun groups aren’t getting very far with petitions (although I’m grateful with they do work and appreciate it people take the time to help). If we formed a big enough organization and raised enough money, maybe we could compete and have a voice too. The bears obviously will never be heard.
Truly a sad day. One more reason not to move after all!