Bear Warriors United claims the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s decision to approve the hunt is based on “obsolete” data and violates legal requirements.
A legal battle is brewing in Florida over the state’s plan to hold its first bear hunt in 10 years. A conservation group, Bear Warriors United, has filed a 15-page lawsuit in Leon County circuit court seeking to block the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) from moving forward with the hunt, which is scheduled to begin on December 6th.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges that the FWC violated several legal requirements and approved the hunt using “obsolete” bear population numbers. According to Bear Warriors United, the decision directly contradicts the state’s 2019 “bear management plan” and could cause “imminent and irreparable harm” to Florida’s black bear species.
“The FWC’s action permitting the black bear hunt directly contradicts the 2019 bear management plan and results in the FWC flying blind as to the black bear population in making decisions,” the lawsuit states. The group argues that the FWC’s decision is “not grounded on scientific wildlife management or current Florida black bear populations.”
Bear hunting has been a contentious issue in Florida since the last hunt in 2015. Despite a large turnout of opponents at the August 13th meeting where the FWC approved the hunt, commissioners, including Gary Lester, defended the decision, stating that the agency’s staff provided “good, solid science for us to follow.”
The FWC, which does not comment on active litigation, has planned for up to 187 bears to be killed during the 23-day hunt. That number has since been reduced to 172.
The agency is currently accepting applications for permits, with each permit-holder allowed to kill one bear. Opponents of the hunt have encouraged supporters to apply for permits in an effort to reduce the number of bears killed.
Bear Warriors United previously challenged the hunt at the state’s Division of Administrative Hearings but withdrew the request after the FWC argued that such challenges can only be filed in circuit court. The lawsuit also contends that the FWC limited public participation before approving the hunt and questioned the “scientific methodology” used to determine the bear population and track mortality rates.
The FWC’s most recent bear population estimate, from 2015, stands at 4,050. The lawsuit claims the next “statistically valid population abundance assessment” is not expected until 2030.
In lieu of hunting, Bear Warriors United advocates for measures like bear-proofing garbage cans to reduce human-bear conflicts. The FWC has established quotas for the hunt, with the largest number of bears to be killed in the Apalachicola and Jacksonville regions.
READ: FWC Lowers Florida Bear Hunt Permit Quota Amid High Application Volume
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