Black bear no longer threatened

Controversy surrounded the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting on Wednesday as Historic City News watched commissioners unanimously approved removing the Florida black bear from the state’s threatened species list.

The decision comes after months of review and research on the original list of 61 animals considered threatened. The Florida black bear has been a “threatened species” since 1974.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission found that the black bear’s population rose from around 500 and 1,000 bears in the state during the 1970’s to between 2,200 and 3,000 today. About 1,100 of those bears live in the Ocala National Forest and in the St. Johns County area.

For decades, state wildlife officials in our area have been trapping and relocating so-called “nuisance bears” that get too close to humans. Nuisance bears tear up campsites, get into people’s garbage, drink out of swimming pools, eat farmers’ chickens or generally get too close for human comfort.

Supporters of the move claimed that the black bear is a success story, along with 15 other species also removed from the list, crediting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s conservation efforts.

An agency spokesman said that the animal “has made a significant comeback” after population numbers had dropped significantly.

Others did not share that viewpoint. Several speakers from environmental groups argued that the native black bear should remain on the list and maintain its protections.

Bear hunting was banned statewide in 1994. Commission members insisted that it is not their intention to begin allowing black bear hunting. Instead, they said the next step is to establish a management plan for those species removed from the list.

During the coming months the commission will work with the public to establish a management plan for the removed species. Protections are being reduced for species removed from the list; such as decreasing the penalty of killing one of those species from a felony to a misdemeanor. Commission members said that those protections could be raised if the public decides it is necessary.

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News contributed photograph by Andrea Boliek