CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. (WTXL) — The advocacy group Bear Warriors United filed a lawsuit against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to stop the Bear Hunt this year.
- The FWC voted on August 13 to bring a regulated bear hunt back to Florida.
- A conservation group filed a lawsuit against them saying the FWC broke their own rules.
- Watch the video to learn what the BWU told us and why the FWC says the hunt should continue.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Advocates filed a lawsuit to help protect bears here in Florida, after a state commission recently approved a bear hunt.
I'm taking a closer look at the lawsuit and the effort to stop the hunt that's set to start this December.
Last week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) unanimously voted to bring the bear hunt back to Florida.
The FWC says that the population of bears has grown over 50% since 1992. They argue a regulated hunting season will help the state control that growth.
However, the conservation group Bear Warriors United argues the population is not as large as the FWC claims. They claim the state is trying to take away bear habitats to make money.
"I would first say to everyone that if you see an issue, if you see something that there's not justice or something's morally wrong, you should really speak up," said Bella Schwartz, an advocate with Bear Warriors United. "I mean, when we're all in this together, we have a chance to make a difference."
The new lawsuit also claims the FWC violated their own rules ahead of last week's vote.
"We are challenging what the FWC has decided, alleging that they were not allowed to make their decisions the way that they did," explained Raquel Levy, attorney at Atlantic Law Center. "They delegated their authority to an executive director, which is not something that they're allowed to are supposed to do. And by doing that they have actually violated their own rules."
The plaintiffs hope a legal decision on this lawsuit will come down quickly since the hunt is set to start in only 4 months.
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