Last week, an unfortunate event occurred in a residential neighborhood near the Wekiwa Conservation Area in Central Florida. A black bear attacked a woman while she was walking her dog, leaving her with serious injuries. As unfortunate and traumatic as this attack was, it is an example of much of the ignorance of residents and state officials. More and more, developers are building communities within or around the edges of the conservation area and into the habitats of the animals, which naturally lead to increased sightings and interactions with humans. Residents, however not necessarily the victim in the case, have very little respect for the surrounding wildlife and show very little diligence in their efforts to avoid animals and most importantly, how NOT to attract them.
Since the attack, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has caught and euthanized two black bears which they believe fit the description of the bear in the attack. They have been setting trap to baiting bears into rural areas, bears that may not have ever ventured into rural areas if not for the traps, and are euthanizing them if it fits a very common description of a black bear.

This petition acknowledges the value of public safety, however the strategy imposed hardly seems like an efficient or humane effort to address the problem. Unfairly baiting and exterminating bears is animal cruelty with no justifiable end, as it is impossible to, with absolute certainty, catch the bear involved in the attack. Therefore, no matter how many bears are trapped and killed, there is no certainty that the threatening bear will be caught. Considering that this is occurring in an area near a wildlife conservation area, and the number of bears and other animals whose habitats are located within this area, the strategy is statistically inefficient. Adding on to the point, even if the correct bear WAS killed, given the environment of the area, the neighbor is no safer from a bear attack than it was before it occurred.

The intent of this petition is to encourage the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to handle bears in a way that provides maximum security to the public, while respecting the existence of the those who settled on the land first, the animals. The justification for the FFWCC killing them is that they will return to rural areas and attack again. Yet, there are many occasions in which the FFWCC will not address an issue UNTIL there has been an attack. This avoids a fairer solution to all parties, in relocating the animal before there is a tragedy. There is plenty of reservation and forests in Florida leaving plenty of opportunity for animals to be relocated if they were to become too comfortable near humans.

The FFWCC should understand that it is more efficient to be proactive than reactive. Many who live near conservations areas are terribly uniformed of what to do and what NOT to do regarding bear encounters. There are simply tactics that people DO NOT consider, such as NOT taking their garbage out at night or leaving it exposed. This in NO WAY insinuates any ignorance by the victim, but in general the ignorance of people can be a major catalyst in leading to animal attacks.

Encourage the FFWCC to take a PROACTIVE approach to the threats imposed by wildlife, which at the end of the day is a matter of perspective because to the animal, WE are the threat that is moving into THEIR homes. The FFWCC should be more involved within our communities and help the people within them understand and RESPECT animals so that they can coexist safely, instead of being uninformed communities and more susceptible to attacks.