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Florida Black Bear Removed From Threatened Species Status

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Columbus, OH --(Ammoland.com)- Last week, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted to remove the state’s black bears from its list of threatened species.

This decision came following a comprehensive biological review conducted by the FWC staff.

Before the threatened designation is finalized, and the bears are officially taken of the list of threatened species, the FWC must adopt a bear management plan. Once complete, the move will give the FWC greater flexibility and more management options in dealing with the state’s growing bear population. This could include allowing bear hunting as a management tool.

The FWC’s black bear study found that the species no longer met any of the criteria required to remain on the state’s threatened list. It also found bear numbers in the state have increased for the past 24 years and continue to increase, that bears are widely distributed throughout the state, and that current bear populations are sustainable.

“USSA and its members strongly support science-based wildlife management and conservation,” said Walter “Bud” Pidgeon, Jr., President and CEO of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. “We applaud the Commission for relying on these principles when reviewing the bears’ status instead of succumbing to emotional rhetoric from animal rights activists.”

Animal rights groups have long sought to disrupt the ability of the FWC to manage Florida’s bear population. In 2006, a lawsuit brought by the Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Fund for Animals among others, sought to take management authority away from the state by having the bears listed on the federal Endangered Species List. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, along with the Central Florida Bear Hunter’s Association, Safari Club International and others intervened in the lawsuit and were successful at stopping this attempt to usurp state wildlife management.

About:
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. Visit www.ussportsmen.org.

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Be Bear Aware In The Outdoors
Campers and landowners should prepare for black-bear encounters.
Written by Rebecca Maples, MDC

Missouri Department of Conservation

JEFFERSON CITY Mo --(Ammoland.com)- He’s a heavyweight from northern Arkansas. He’s dark and mysterious. He’ll eat just about anything, and he’s being seen more and more around the Show-Me State.

His name is Ursus americanus, but you probably know him better as the black bear. One of the state’s largest wild mammals, black bears have been seen in more than half of Missouri’s counties, though most are south of the Missouri River. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), black-bear sightings and numbers are growing in Missouri.

Black bears are native to Missouri, but the species was nearly eliminated from the state by 1940 due to unregulated hunting and habitat changes. Recent data indicate that a few of Missouri’s native bears might have survived. However, the growth of Missouri’s bear population in recent years probably is largely a result of a successful black-bear restoration effort by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in the 1960s.

According to MDC Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer, black bears are a significant part of the native ecosystem and are an indicator of the state’s wilderness habitat quality.

A fed bear is a dead bear
A growing bear population calls for caution from campers and landowners, who are most likely to encounter bears. Black bears generally are dangerous only when they lose their natural fear of people. This usually results from access to human food. A bear that associates people with food is at risk for aggressive behavior, which could result in euthanasia.

“The most important thing is that landowners and campers don’t give bears access to food or garbage,” Beringer said. “If you never let a bear get started, you won’t have a problem with them.”

Campers can avoid problems with bears by keeping a clean camp, avoiding food scents, and never feeding or approaching bears. If you encounter a bear while camping, you should try to scare the bear away by banging pots and pans or making other noise and waving your arms. If you see a bear while hiking or fishing, you should back away slowly, speaking in a normal voice and making no sudden movements.

Although bear attacks are extremely rare, if you find yourself in this situation you should fight back with any available weapons – sticks, stones, knives or even fists – striking the bear especially around the face.

“Bears are generally afraid of people. If you do have an encounter with a bear, you want to make it a negative experience for that animal,” Beringer recommended.

Black Bear Research
In fall 2010, MDC began a cooperative study with the University of Missouri and the University of Mississippi to learn more about black bears in the state and how to manage them. The project involves trapping and radio-collaring bears and gathering hair samples for DNA testing. Information gathered in this will allow researchers to determine individual animals’ size and growth rates, population size, sex ratio, genetic diversity, habitat preferences, daily and seasonal movement patterns, denning dates, reproduction and survival rates. Trapping and radio-collaring will continue through this fall.

Beringer said citizens can play an important role in the ongoing bear research project by immediately reporting all bear sightings. Such reports enable researchers to focus their efforts on areas of known bear activity.

If you see a black bear, report it by visiting www.MissouriConservation.org and searching “Report a Bear Sighting.”

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