Environmental Group Sues To Stop Bear Hunting In Florida

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

ORLANDO (CBSMiami/AP) – An environmental advocacy group sued Florida's wildlife protection commission, demanding a stop to a planned bear hunting season set to start in the fall.

Speak Up Wekiva filed the lawsuit Friday against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, claiming the hunt violated the state constitution by lifting a two-decade ban on bear hunting. Amendment 5 was passed in 1998 and requires the state to make adequate provision to protect its natural resources.

Florida outlawed all bear hunting in 1994. But a bear rebound, as well as an increase in the number of nuisance calls and bears killed by cars, were cited as reasons for allowing a new one-week hunt in October. There would be a limit of 200 bears total.

Other measures besides hunting, such as bear-proof garbage cans, would reduce the number of encounters between bears and humans, the lawsuit said.

"There is no evidence to support the supposition that hunting bears in remote wildlife management areas will reduce conflicts in suburbia," the lawsuit said. "A hunt for black bears in Florida is clearly not supported by sound science and is therefore unconstitutional."

Commission deputy press secretary Wendy Dial didn't immediately return a call for comment.

The lawsuit was first reported by WMFE-FM in Orlando.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.