Florida takes into account the lifting of the bear hunting ban after almost a decade

Florida officials consider to raise an almost decades of banning of the bear hunting, which has lit a heated debate among residents and leaders.

The bear population was so low for decades that they were granted legal protection.

But now complaints have grown that there are too many.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering moving due to complaints about bears that enter the neighborhoods and threatens the drivers.

It is controversial because some guides and people say it is time to dilute the numbers, and others say that there must be a different way.

“I think that black bears are not a disturbing animal. Essentially they are a local animal that, due to irresponsible development patterns, no longer has any space,” said Kelly Semrad, Commissioner of Orange County.

Semrad, a long -time lawyer for wild animals, rejects the idea of ​​bear hunting.

“To be honest, I find the thinking process of a bear hunting quite disgusting. You have no one anywhere … anywhere … no food for eating. No bear wants to dig in our doses for your food source,” she said.

Semrad swears against the bear hunting in Orange County if the state allows this.

“People who live here … none of us want our black bear to be hunted. Nobody. That is not what the conversation is about. It is the opposite … How can we protect our bear,” she said.

Proponents argue that killing bears should be a last way out, which emphasizes the need for better security and garbage security and slows down the development in rural areas.

The residents have the opportunity to express their opinion at a virtual public meeting next month.

The last bear hunting in Florida took place in 2015.