We all need to do our part to coexist peacefully among bears and other animals with whom we share this planet.

If that means securing our trash, cleaning up after ourselves, and removing bear attractants like birdseed to prevent conflicts, then we should do it. After all, it is the least we can do. Please take a stand to help protect Florida's black bears from a law that, if it passes, would allow people to kill bears for going onto someone's property to access their unsecured trash and other attractants that they refused to remove. All someone would have to say is that they "felt threatened."

If a bear poses a threat to you or your loved ones (pets included), you have a right to self-defense, currently covered under the Common Law Defense of Necessity. The difference between these two bills (HB 87 - Taking of Bears and SB 632 - Taking of Bears) and the Common Law Defense of Necessity is they remove the capacity for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute individuals who unjustifiably kill black bears.

***You already have a right to self-defense.***

Last year in Sanford, FL, a man shot a bear that he says charged at him and his dog, according to the FWC. He did not get in any trouble because it was deemed self-defense. Click here to learn more.

SB 632 and HB 87 will allow people like John Anthony Falango (the Sebring Bear Killer) to avoid prosecution for killing bears without justification. Click here to learn more info about this case.

The proposed bills state that people cannot lure or provoke a bear. Anyone who were to kill a bear also cannot keep it or sell it afterward; rather, they would have to turn the bear’s body into the FWC within 24 hours.

The problem is these bills override the FWC's authority to investigate, so an individual will not have to prove they acted in self-defense and didn’t lure a bear onto their property. In areas where conflicts are present, the bears are already being lured onto private property, whether directly or indirectly, by trash and other bear attractants.

Thank you for taking action. We will have follow-up calls to action after today's hearing.