HELP US FIGHT FOR FLORIDA'S BLACK BEARS!
On August 13, 2025, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) rammed through a unanimous vote for a black bear hunt, despite only five commissioners present and overwhelming public opposition. The meeting was a scripted performance. Chairman Rodney Barreto dodged the bear issue with manatee “success” stories, ignoring their ongoing die-offs, and falsely suggested the public asked for a hunt. In reality, Commissioner Gary Lester pushed the idea last December, right after a Bear Management Plan update.
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FWC’s own bear biologist said “no action was needed” and confirmed hunting won’t reduce conflicts, bear-resistant trash cans will. Yet, special interests(Safari Club International) and a few sheriffs pushed killing over science. Questions from the public were replaced by Barreto’s own, and the day ended in self-congratulation and spin.
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This is how wildlife policy gets hijacked, by distorting science, silencing the public, and serving private agendas. Florida’s bears deserve facts and ethics, not backroom deals. To everyone who showed up in Havana, you spoke truth in a room that didn’t want to hear it. This fight is far from over. Stay tuned for calls to action.
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Go to our Florida Black Bear page to learn the details of what the bears will now face.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
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Follow us on social media for the latest updates. Stop The Bear Hunt
BEARS NEED YOU
Donate today to help protect them.
IN THE News
June 24, 2025 - Watch our Executive Director, Adam Sugalski, expose the FWC’s dangerous 2025 Black Bear Trophy Hunt proposal, a plan that could open the floodgates to hunting with dogs and shooting bears with bows over bait.
April 2, 2025 - Our Executive Director outlines the FWC’s plan for a new bear hunt, a move that could have devastating effects on Florida’s already fragile bear population.
Who We Are
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Learn the truth about bear hunting
Take The Fight To Them
THE GRIZZLY TRUTH
THE BATTLE TO OUTLAW GRIZZLY BEAR HUNTING.
WATCH THE FILM BY TOM REISSMANN
