Orlando, FL: Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted on Wednesday to host a proposed three-week bear hunt in December. This will be the first time in 10 years that hunting black bears will be permitted in the Sunshine State.
Below is Representative Dr. Anna V. Eskamani’s statement in response:
“I am deeply disappointed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s unanimous decision to reinstate an annual black bear hunting season for the first time in a decade. This move ignores the will of so many Floridians who value the protection of our state’s iconic wildlife and recognize that lethal hunts are not a sustainable or humane solution to managing bear populations.
Florida black bears are a keystone species, essential to maintaining healthy ecosystems. The FWC’s decision — which allows baiting, trapping, guns, and archery to kill 187 bears across 31 counties — threatens to destabilize these populations and risks unnecessary cruelty. Allowing hunting dogs beginning in 2027 only compounds the inhumanity.
Instead of turning to trophy hunts, we should be investing in proven, non-lethal strategies: expanding public education on coexistence, enforcing bear-proof trash ordinances, and restoring habitat so that bears have the space and resources they need to thrive. Our black bears — and the future of Florida’s biodiversity — deserve better.”
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