Last fall, when hunters killed far more bears than expected during Florida’s first bear hunt in 21 years, the state’s top bear expert said that was a sign that there were more bears in the woods than anyone knew. A study unveiled Thursday backed that up, finding 4,350 bears prowling the woods, or about 60 percent more than the population found by a similar study 14 years ago.
“The good news is that bears are abundant in Florida,” said Thomas Eason, top bear expert at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
That’s only the adult population, not including cubs. Eason said there could be 1,000 to 2,000 cubs at any time too.
Eason did provide an important caveat: the new population estimate is based on data from before last fall’s historic hunt, not after.
During a Thursday conference call with reporters, Eason responded to several questions on a second hunt by saying the staff has yet to decide on whether to recommend one. He added the decision is up to wildlife commissioners, who are appointed by the governor.
Wildlife commission executive director Nick Wiley said his staff had been waiting for the new population estimate before “starting the conversation” with the commissioners on whether to hold a second hunt.
The last hunt was designed to “slow the growth” of the population, Eason said.
A coalition of environmental and civic groups last week petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to offer Endangered Species Act protection to the Florida black bear as a way to block further hunting. The new numbers won’t lessen that effort, said Jacki Lopez of the Center for Biological Diversity, which is spearheading the petition.
“I don’t see how the new numbers could change the fact that the populations are extremely fragmented and face mounting threats from human population growth which will further isolate them and make them vulnerable to mortality from roads and proximity to urban areas,” Lopez said in an e-mail to the Times. Read the entire article at this link – http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/florida-black-bear-population-on-the-rise-reaches-4350/2270659