The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering limited bear hunting in certain parts of Florida. The discussion follows increasing conflicts and several incidents where bears seriously injured people.
The FWC this week approved a plan to use a variety of tools to manage bears and help reduce human-bear conflicts. The commission asked staffers to move forward with developing specific plans for a limited bear hunt in certain parts of Florida.
Hunting alone is not likely to reduce human-bear conflicts in urban and suburban areas. However, in other states, hunting has been an effective measure for managing bear populations and can help more direct measures of reducing conflicts, an FWC spokesperson said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Wildlife conservation commission considering limited bear hunting