Heartbreaking': Florida wildlife groups decry state-sanctioned bear hunt

"Seeing the photos of trophy hunters gloating over their slaughtered bears has been deeply upsetting for all Floridians who love Florida's bears and want them protected. This bloody spectacle has been a heartbreaking way for Floridians to enter the holiday season, she said in a statement. To say FWC missed the mark on this might be the understatement of the year, and like the 2015 hunt, it will surely haunt our state for years to come."

"The Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) on Tuesday announced that 52 bears were killed between 6 and 28 December, and promised to release a full harvest report in the coming months that will provide details about where and how the animals died. Wildlife groups insisted the commission's August decision to approve the hunt, the first in Florida for a decade, was grounded in flawed science."

Florida wildlife officials reported that 52 black bears were killed during a three-week hunt from 6 to 28 December and said the operation was needed to manage a rebounding population. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission cited population recovery from several hundred in the 1970s to more than 4,000 today and described the hunt as rooted in sound scientific data. Conservation groups rejected the hunt as based on flawed science and criticized baiting, archery and the use of dogs. A poll cited by Humane World for Animals found 81% of residents opposed bear hunting overall. FWC promised a full harvest report with details on locations and causes of death.

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