The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has released the results of the first black bear hunting season since 2015. According to official data, 52 animals were killed during the hunt, which lasted from December 6 until the end of last week. This year's event was based on a strict quota system: only 172 individuals, selected by lottery from 160,000 applicants, were granted the right to participate. This is reported by AP, writes UNN.
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An interesting aspect was the attempt by environmentalists to disrupt the event. According to the Sierra Club, at least four dozen permits were bought by activists who had no intention of killing animals, in order to save their lives. The black bear population in the state has grown from a few hundred in the 1970s to over 4,000 individuals, which the authorities call a success in nature conservation and a reason for population regulation.
The 2025 black bear hunt, based on sound scientific data, was successful
At the same time, activists question the transparency of data collection, as this time there were no stationary registration points, and hunters reported their prey independently through a mobile application.
Susannah Randolph, director of the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club, noted that withholding information from the media for several days looks suspicious. She also suggested that the low number of animals killed could be a consequence of both the actions of activists and the likely overestimation of the real population size by state officials.
Despite protests, Florida authorities insist on the effectiveness of the chosen wildlife management strategy. This year's rules were significantly stricter than the chaotic hunt of 2015, when more than 300 bears were killed due to an excessive number of permits issued, many of which were females with cubs.