Florida Wildlife

State wildlife officials will hear a proposal next week to create an annual black bear hunt. The proposed December hunt would be the first in over a decade.

A judge says Florida needs to seek what is known as an "incidental take permit" from federal wildlife officials to help minimize the effects of discharges on manatees.

These large, non-venomous snakes are listed as threatened because of habitat loss. They are a glossy, bluish-black color that can be iridescent in the sunlight.

The toll to Florida parks and wilderness lands amid sweeping federal job cuts includes at least six biologists and other workers at understaffed refuges.

Florida voters will decide whether to approve Amendment 2, which would put hunting and fishing rights in the state Constitution.

The Florida Keys Wildlife Research Institute says no new sawfish deaths have been reported since June. But exactly what caused the situation remains unknown.

A shark attack off Key West and one off Key Biscayne are the latest to be reported in the state this summer. But the number of incidents this year are in line with the annual average.

Wildlife enthusiasts and conservationists may be interested in a proposal going on the November ballot. Voters will see it as Amendment 2 - Right to Fish and Hunt.

Expanded development and lack of prescribed burns have been hurting scrub jay habitats throughout Florida.

Releasing a balloon will be illegal in Florida starting July 1st. The new law expands the state's current ban on releasing 10 or more balloons. Young children are exempt.