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https://www.change.org/p/help-protect-florida-black-bears-stop-house-bill-87-taking-of-bears?fbclid=IwAR0xRoS-1TKVzBOqATDHw18QQ0NqoGTQOJMBPquDloZvxt6wycj07Px3ZI8
This petition serves as written opposition to House Bill 87 (HB 87) - Taking of Bears.
We, the undersigned, strongly oppose House Bill 87 (HB 87) - Taking of Bears, which would enable a person to kill a Florida Black Bear because they "feel" threatened. This bill opens the door for people to claim self-defense in instances where bears are not a threat. It overrides the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) authority to investigate crimes committed against this protected species (black bears) if the person claims they felt threatened.
If a bear poses a threat to you or your loved ones, you have a right to self-defense, currently covered under the Common Law Defense of Necessity. This law allows you to act in self-defense against any wildlife. It doesn't differentiate between protected wildlife and unprotected wildlife. The difference between HB 87 - Taking of Bears and the Common Law Defense of Necessity is that HB 87 removes the capacity for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute individuals who unjustifiably kill black bears.
This bill would allow people like John Anthony Falango (the Sebring Bear Killer) to avoid prosecution for his crime (Click here for more info about this case).
This bill promotes a false narrative that bears are overpopulating and threaten human safety. The increase in bear-human conflicts in some regions of Florida, like Franklin County, is due in part to the failure of people to remove bear attractants and adequately secure their trash. Seminole County, which once ranked highest in bear-human conflicts, has seen a significant reduction since implementing bear-resistant trashcans. The FWC previously stated they saw a 95% reduction in bear-related incidents in a Volusia County neighborhood since the introduction of bear-resistant trashcans. Bear-human conflicts will continue to rise until the root causes are addressed (unsecured trash and other attractants).
The truth is that black bears are not overpopulating and pose no significant threat to human safety. Florida black bears are predominantly vegetarian, with 80% of their diet consisting of plants, 15% insects, and only 5% animal matter, usually carrion. They are not the voracious man-eating carnivores that the people who wish to kill them would like you to believe. In fact, since recorded history, no one in the State of Florida has ever been killed by a black bear. Since 1900, only 61 people in North America have been killed by black bears.
Unprovoked bear attacks are extremely rare. According to bear expert Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. of the North American Bear Center, you are 45 times more likely to be killed by a dog, 120 times more likely to be killed by bees, and 60,000 times more likely to be murdered by another human being than to be killed by a black bear.
Florida black bears are a keystone species. Their presence positively impacts the environment and other species they share it with. They disperse more seeds than birds, meaning they quite literally influence the types of plants that grow in the forest. The vitality of a healthy functioning ecosystem depends upon the existence of bears.
House Bill 87 - Taking of Bears fails to address the issues at the heart of all bear-human conflicts. It chooses violence over non-lethal solutions, undermines the jurisdiction of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and ignores the current law that exists to protect those acting in self-defense.
For all the reasons aforementioned, we, the undersigned, respectfully request that you vote NO to House Bill 87 - Taking of Bears.