Author Topic: Bears need 'sanctuaries' from hunters, biologists say  (Read 2144 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline RoosGirl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16,759
Bears need 'sanctuaries' from hunters, biologists say
« on: June 08, 2016, 02:55:28 am »
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-florida-bear-sanctuaries-no-hunt-20160607-story.html

Florida wildlife biologists want "sanctuaries" established where black bears would be off limits to hunters.

In a nine-page letter filled with research citations, the biologists also called on the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission to postpone future hunts until the agency re-evaluates its method to set the number of bears that can be killed in a hunt.

"Allowing the overall hunt to continue as it did in 2015 ... and the continuing high rate of roadkill, lethal control by wildlife managers, and poaching may well plunge multiple [bear] subpopulations into sharp decline as it has done in other states," wildlife biologists Matthew Aresco, Joseph Guthrie and Joseph Travis wrote in a letter.

The Florida Wildlife Federation, a conservation group that has worked closely with state wildlife officials, sent a similar letter that also called for bear sanctuaries and urged the agency to be "very conservative" in considering hunts this year and next.


Continued...