Florida Fish and Wildlife officials are moving forward with a plan to open a bear hunting season for the first time in more than 20 years. That’s thanks, in part, to an increase in human-bear interactions.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Chairman Richard Corbett says conflicts between humans and bears have become serious and dangerous.
“Our job as the commission and certainly as the chairman, I looked out and said one of our major responsibilities is to protect the citizens of the state – parents, children and frankly we’ve had very, very unexpected attacks in different spots of the state,” Corbett says.
Corbett says the commission needs to take aggressive action to protect human lives. But those in opposition to the plan question whether hunting will really reduce the number bears spilling into cities and towns.
