Florida approves first bear hunt since 2015, as some raise concerns

Florida is slated to hold its first black bear hunt in a decade this December. It was approved

Wednesday by the State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission unanimously. The move comes despite opposition to the hunt from animal welfare advocates. They contend it

is cruel and unnecessary due to its allowance of bait and dogs in hunts. State wildlife officials

however, say they made the move based on science. Hunters in favor of the change point to rising

instances of bear and human interactions, and the state's first documented death due to a bear

attack earlier this year, as reported by CBS News. Environmentalists say it's not the bear's fault

Human infrastructure is encroaching on bears' natural habitat. They also expressed concerns

after a 2015 hunt in which more than 300 black bears were killed, including 38 females with cubs

The hunt was subsequently shut down early. That hunt gave permits to anyone who could afford one

This hunt is different. State officials will only allow 187 permits based on a random drawing

FWC officials say there are around 4,000 black bears in the state

This hunt will go from December 6th through the 28th. 78th. Permits cost $100 for state residents and $300 for non-residents. Landowners who have more

than 5,000 acres can set up a so-called bear harvest program and are allowed to set up bait

stations on their property. Officials say they're looking into allowing a bear hunting season in the

future that will run from October 1st through December 31st. That's pending further studies

but they say it may eventually lead to six dogs being allowed in the hunts

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