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For the first time in ten years, the state of Florida has authorized black bear hunting, a decision that has sparked strong controversy between environmental advocates and hunters.
According to a report by AP, the hunting season began this Saturday and will remain open until December 28.
More than 160,000 people applied to participate, although the state only granted 172 permits through a lottery. Among those selected were at least 43 activists opposed to hunting, who admitted to applying for licenses solely to prevent other hunters from using them.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) justified the measure as a tool for "population management," arguing that the Florida black bear population—considered a success story in conservation—has increased from a few hundred in the 1970s to over 4,000 individuals today.
Each licensed hunter may take one animal in one of the four designated areas of the state, chosen based on population density.
Licenses cost 100 dollars for residents and 300 for non-residents, plus a 5-dollar application fee.
Part of the revenue, the FWC indicated, will be allocated to conservation programs.
However, environmental groups such as the Sierra Club have described the measure as "unnecessary and cruel".
They argue that the real problem is not the overpopulation of bears, but the uncontrolled urban expansion that invades their natural habitat.
"The state should focus on improving waste management and preventing the destruction of natural areas, not on turning hunting into a business," stated the Florida chapter of the organization.
The resumption of hunting comes ten years after the controversial season of 2015, when more than 3,700 permits were issued, and 304 bears were killed in just two days, including at least 38 females with cubs.
That widely criticized episode forced the authorities to suspend the program indefinitely.
On this occasion, the FWC implemented stricter regulations and reduced quotas, aiming to avoid the chaos of the previous experience.
"They are doing it right this time," said Doug Moore, president of a hunting club in the northeast of the state, who expressed support for the new regulations despite not having obtained a permit this year.
For their part, the opponents continue to pressure the authorities and the courts to put a stop to the practice, although without success. Joel Cleveland, one of the activists who received a license, stated that his goal was to save lives: “Some bear is walking today through the swamps of Florida because I gave it an extension of life.”
The debate over black bear hunting divides Florida between those who see it as a legitimate conservation mechanism and those who consider it an ethical and environmental setback.
Meanwhile, gunfire returns to the forests and swamps of the state, reopening a wound that seemed to have healed a decade ago.
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