More Florida black bears than ever are being euthanized when they cause problems around people, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Reports of bears in residential areas are way up, and so are roadkills (mostly in central Florida). Experts say the reason is population growth for both bears and people.
What I hope people get out of this article is this:
“Biologists say euthanasia is a last resort to handle a small percentage of problem bears, but residents can help avoid that outcome by learning how to keep bears away and not providing food for them. ‘Feeding a bear is like signing its death warrant,’ said fish and wildlife commission spokeswoman Joy Hill.”
So basically, this says if you really care about bears, don’t give them handouts or make it easy for them to get food. Otherwise, they could end up being killed for being a “problem bear” — all because they learned that people = food.
Image from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service / R.I. Bridges
EcoFlorida 