Latest news with #SB1523
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Florida Just Approved a Black Bear Season. Connecticut Could Be Next
Connecticut is inching closer to instituting a bear season after the state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that would allow wildlife officials to authorize a hunt when public safety is at risk. The move comes on the heels of Florida's approval of its first bear season in nearly a decade and is an indication of a broader trend in state-level responses to growing black bear populations. The Connecticut Senate easily passed Senate Bill 1523 on May 22, with a vote of 34-2. The bill would amend an existing law that allows individuals to request a permit to use deadly force against a bear if it is injuring or killing livestock, crops, or honey bees to make it easier for landowners to kill nuisance bears. But a provision tucked into SB 1523 would also authorize Connecticut's governor to direct the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to open a black bear hunting season if DEEP finds 'that bear conflicts with people, pets, and livestock in the state have reached a level that poses a public safety threat.' But Connecticut's most recent State of Bears briefing, which points to a 'long term increasing trend in human-bear conflicts,' suggests that conflicts may have already reached that level. DEEP estimates more than 1,200 black bears are roaming the state. In 2024, bears were reported in 159 of Connecticut's 169 towns and cities, with thousands of reported human-black bear conflicts, which far exceeds conflicts in neighboring states where bear hunting is legal. According to the report, Connecticut had 67 instances of black bears entering homes last year and had two bear attacks on humans. 'Because the frequency and severity of human-bear conflicts have increased significantly over the past decade, DEEP supports this legislation,' DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes told lawmakers in her submitted testimony, '…we believe a regulated bear hunt is a critical and needed addition to the suite of black bear management tools we currently employ to protect the public, reduce human-bear conflicts, and support a healthy and sustainable black bear population.' Read Next: What Do Black Bears Eat? While Connecticut's proposed legislation sets the stage for a conditional bear season, Florida is taking a more direct approach. On May 15, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-1 to give preliminary approval for the state's first bear hunt since 2015. The proposed 3-week hunt, scheduled for December 2025, would permit the harvest of up to 187 bears and allow the use of bait and dogs. The vote follows Florida's first fatal bear attack on May 5, which claimed the life of an 88-year-old man in Collier County. A final vote for the proposed hunt is scheduled for August.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A proposal on hunting black bears in CT moved forward. Here's what it says.
After years of unsuccessful attempts to allow black bear hunting in the state, a revised bill has cleared a key hurdle with state lawmakers, possibly making hunting the animals one step closer to reality. The amended bill, SB 1523, which the Senate passed and sent to the House on a 34-2 vote this month, allows the governor to direct the commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environment Protection to adopt regulations and set parameters to permit a bear hunt in the state. But according to the bill's language, a hunt may only be allowed only after the governor and DEEP's commissioner find through an assessment by DEEP that 'bear conflicts with people, pets, and livestock in Connecticut have reached a level that poses a public safety threat.' The bill, which has been added to the state House calendar for a possible vote, would make it lawful to use deadly force to kill a bear if the animal were injuring or killing controlled livestock. The new bill would add to a law passed in 2023 that authorizes certain circumstances to use lethal force against bears and for special hunting permits when a bear is found to be damaging crops. Under Connecticut law, you can kill a bear in self-defense if you reasonably believe it's about to cause serious harm to you or someone else, or if it's entering a building with people inside, according to officials with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. In addition, a bear may be killed if it is injuring or killing one's pet. But if a bear were shot and killed, it must be reported to DEEP, and law enforcement would investigate each case. But a provision added to the bill by state Sen. Rick Lopes, a New Britain Democrat who co-chairs the Environment Committee, and Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, now reopens the possibility of a black bear hunting season. If passed, the bill would give the state DEEP the authority to conduct an assessment and prepare it for the governor. According to the provision, the assessment 'must consider factors like bear entries into occupied buildings and bear attacks on people, pets, and livestock.' According to online records, the House had not acted on the bill as of May 26. DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes told lawmakers in testimony the state agency supports a regulated bear hunt. She said that the bear population has exploded over the past 10 years and that human-bear interactions have increased, leading to a statewide public safety hazard. Connecticut is the only state in New England that prohibits the hunting of black bears, the commissioner said in her testimony on the bill. Why a lawmaker is pushing state to allow bear hunting. CT agency supports 'limited' season. 'Because the frequency and severity of human-bear conflicts have increased significantly over the past decade, DEEP supports this legislation as we believe a regulated bear hunt is a critical and needed addition to the suite of black bear management tools we currently employ to protect the public, reduce human-bear conflicts, and support a healthy and sustainable black bear population,' Dykes said. 'DEEP supports a regulated harvest for two primary reasons: Human-bear conflicts have escalated in frequency and severity over the past decade resulting in elevated risk to the public, and this trend is likely to continue and to affect more Connecticut communities as bear populations increase and expand their range. Non-lethal bear management strategies, such as DEEP's significant investments in public education and outreach, have failed to decrease human-bear conflicts,' she said. The provision comes amid a rise in conflicts between humans and bears, as the number of bear sightings reached 159 out of the state's 169 towns and cities, according to the 2025 'The State of the Bears,' an annual DEEP publication that tracks their growth. Thousands of conflicts between humans and black bears are reported each year and are increasing, according to DEEP. Reports of bears entering or breaking into homes occurred 67 times in 16 different municipalities statewide in 2024. While the majority of human and bear conflicts are in the northwest corner, the agency said they are seeing more conflicts in other parts of the state, including Hartford and Fairfield counties. In 2015, there were less than 10 reports of bears entering or breaking into homes. The yearly report, which was released in March, comes amid renewed interest in a black bear hunting season. DEEP officials said the black bear population remains stable, with between 1,000 and 1,200 bears, and has a high potential for growth due to 'an abundance of suitable habitat and excessive human-related food across their range.' Hunting an fishing contribute to the state's economy, according to many sources. But critics of a black bear hunt say that it is unnecessary and cruel. More than a dozen animal rights groups and environmental advocacy organizations submitted testimony to oppose a bear hunt. Critics argue bears that break into homes or become violent are often in residential areas where hunting is already prohibited. Further, they contend, hunting bears in their natural environment will not help resolve human-bear interactions. 'Hunting bears is unnecessary, inhumane, and will not solve the concerns about human-bear interactions,' said Samantha Dynowksi, state director for the Sierra Club, in testimony. 'There is much evidence that a bear hunt will not work to decrease human-bear interactions.' 'The bear that is being killed deep in the woods where hunting occurs is very unlikely to be the same bear in the neighborhood or near houses. People would be unable to hunt a bear near neighborhoods and residential areas as it is extremely dangerous. It is counterproductive to kill bears in their natural habitat exhibiting normal behaviors and teaching their cubs to do the same,' she said. Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@
