Connecticut lawmakers are once again pushing for a bear hunt stating that bears are a dangerous threat to people because they have lost their fear of humans due to habituation. What they failed to mention is that hunting does not reduce bear-human conflicts. The solution to bear-human conflicts is education and an emphasis on non-lethal solutions such as securing trash and removing bear attractants. In addition, hunting does not occur in residential areas meaning the bears targeted during a hunt are not the same bears frequenting neighborhoods. A public hearing will be held this Friday, March 10, 2023. Please complete the calls to action below before Friday's public hearing.

Calls-To-Action
Click the link below to submit your public testimony in OPPOSITION to Senate bill 1148 (bear hunting). Select the bill number and choose "Oppose" on the right.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/aspx/CGATestimonySub/CGAtestimonysubmission.aspx?comm_code=ENV&fbclid=IwAR1KMbLIhiWEMPb1JvsnFwvmxXGxW-w_782_3oerPhJ49X5c84QHcwEgTe4

If you have family, friends, property, or vacation in Connecticut, contact CT State Senators and tell them you OPPOSE Senate Bill 1148 (bear hunting). Click on the Senator's name to email them.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/slist.asp

Sign & Share Our Petition
https://www.change.org/p/help-us-stop-a-connecticut-bear-hunt

Attend the protest being held by Animal Rights Activists Connections Entwined - ARACE on 3/17/23 to oppose the bear hunt at the capitol.
https://www.facebook.com/events/865754827861159?ref=newsfeed

Talking Points
*No scientific data supports the claim that hunting reduces bear-human encounters or conflicts. The bears killed during the hunt are not the same bears frequenting neighborhoods. Bear-human conflicts will continue to rise until the root causes are addressed (unsecured trash and other attractants). Non-lethal solutions and educational outreach will resolve these issues, not killing bears out in the woods.

*Deforestation is responsible for the loss of critical bear habitat. Land development and bear attractants such as unsecured trash and bird feeders are most likely the cause of increased bear-human conflicts, not overpopulation.

*Research shows that eliminating bear attractants and securing trash in bear-resistant trash cans can reduce or eliminate conflicts by over 90%.

*Black bears are predominantly vegetarian (90%), with only 5% of their diet consisting of meat, usually carrion. They are NOT the vicious man-eaters that bear trophy hunters and corrupt politicians would like you to believe.

*Unprovoked bear attacks are rare. According to bear expert Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. of the North American Bear Center says, 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.

*Bears regulate their own populations through a biological process known as delayed implantation. Delayed implantation allows bears to control their populations. When food is abundant, more bears will be born. When there is a lack of abundant food sources, female bears will not reproduce every two years but, alternatively, every three to four years.

*Wildlife is a public trust - and we, the people, have a right to defend animals for the benefit of those living today and those yet to come. It's time for wildlife agencies to rely on science and ethics, not profits and politics. Wildlife does not belong to the hunters or wildlife agencies. We ALL have a say and what happens to the bears.

#OneProtest
ONEPROTEST.ORG

#BearDefenders
BEARDEFENDERS.ORG

 

_____________Previous Petition Content____________

Two Connecticut State Senators are using a recent "bear attack" to promote bills that call for the hunting of Connecticut's black bears. 

The Senators who are pushing these bills have jumped at the opportunity to sell this "attack" as a reason for a hunt. A limited hunt is not the answer to reducing bear populations or bear-human conflicts. 

Connecticut black bear sightings are on the rise, but that does not equate to overpopulation. Bears possess a biological ability known as delayed implantation. Delayed implantation allows bears to regulate their own populations. When food is abundant, more bears will be born. When there is a lack of abundant food sources, female bears will not reproduce every two years, but alternatively every three to four years. Hunting can increase populations by inadvertently leaving more food for surviving bears. This occurrence is known as compensatory reproduction.

Deforestation is responsible for the loss of critical bear habitat. We often don’t consider the impact this has on bears and other wildlife. Land development and bear attractants such as unsecured garbage are most likely the cause of increased bear-human conflicts, not overpopulation. Education is the key to coexistence with bears. Research shows that eliminating bear attractants and securing trash in bear-proof trashcans can reduce or eliminate bear encounters by over 90%. 

In reality, bears are generally shy, elusive animals whose diets consist predominantly of vegetation. Bears are not the man-eating monsters that people who wish to hunt them would like you to believe. Unprovoked bear attacks are extremely rare. According to bear expert Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. of the North American Bear Center says 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.

Please take the poll at the link below and vote NO to a Connecticut bear hunt! https://www.wfsb.com/news/state-senators-recommend-bear-hunting-season-following-southbury-attack/article_8a76e242-e3b5-11e9-b970-c332f57d7d43.html

https://www.beardefenders.org