TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Sierra Club Florida, alongside 150 conservation advocates, partners, and allies from across the state, gathered at the Florida State Capitol to send a loud, clear message to Governor Ron DeSantis: Call off the black bear hunt.
The rally marks the culmination of nearly a year of efforts led by Sierra Club Florida and its partners against the state-sanctioned hunt, which was approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in August despite overwhelming public opposition and insufficient scientific justification.
In addition to the participants mobilized from Florida’s major metro areas to today’s protest in Tallahassee, nearly 70,000 wildlife advocates have collectively added their voice and directly called on Governor DeSantis and FWC Commissioners to halt the hunt planned for this December. Earlier this fall, Sierra Club Florida also led the ‘Bag a Tag, Spare a Bear’ campaign that called on non-hunters to flood FWC’s bear permit lottery, helping to keep 43 of the 172 permits allocated for this year’s season out of hunters’ hands.
Susannah Randolph, Sierra Club Florida Chapter Director, said, "On behalf of Sierra Club Florida’s members, supporters, volunteers, and the overwhelming majority of Floridians who oppose this hunt, we are calling on Governor DeSantis to do the right thing and save our bears. Since this hunt was first proposed by the FWC, Floridians have repeatedly spoken out against the cruel and unnecessary killing of our iconic black bears, only to be dismissed by the Commissioners charged with protecting them. It’s now up to the Governor to correct this dereliction of duty and call off Florida’s state-sponsored trophy hunt before it’s too late."
Katrina Shadix, Director of Bear Warriors United, said, "Any excuse for a bear hunt is completely unjustified, and we will continue advocating for practical solutions that allow people and bears to coexist safely. As stated by the FWC itself, preventing human-bear encounters is as simple as securing trash and exercising common sense – a far more effective (and less lethal) means than hunting."
Adam Sugalski of Bear Defenders said, "Florida’s black bears deserve better than to be run down by packs of dogs and turned into trophies. We’ve seen firsthand the chaos and mismanagement of past bear hunts, and this one would be nothing short of an unregulated free-for-all with trespassing, injured animals, and zero accountability. Wildlife is not a prop, target, or commodity for special interests. The FWC has a responsibility to protect these animals, not facilitate their killing."
Bobbie Lee Davenport of the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida said, "The FWC knows the bear population in the Osceola management unit has dropped dramatically, yet they are moving forward with this trophy hunt, ignoring their own management plan and science. Blood sport enthusiasts should not be allowed to kill Florida’s imperiled black bears. This hunt must be stopped."
For more information on Sierra Club Florida’s efforts to stop the bear hunt, click here. For photos and videos of today’s protest, click here.
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