During the 2015 hunting season in Florida, 304 bears were killed in just two days, including 179 female bears. Approximately 38 of those were lactating, meaning these bears had cubs they were still feeding and caring for.Photo by Anton Sorokin/Alamy Stock Photo

Florida authorities are now considering a proposal to manage the state’s black bear population, including a plan that could open the animals to the sights of trophy hunters. But a new statewide poll shows that more than two-thirds of Floridians are against the idea of killing bears, with the opposition even stronger than it was in 2015 – the last and only time in decades that the state allowed its bears to be hunted.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is expected to discuss its plan in December at a meeting in Panama City. That plan could include the terrible practices…