Black bear hunt can’t be defended
Just a few comments regarding the recent guest column – titled “Managing Bears Now and for the Future” – written by George Warthen, the chief conservation officer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Warthen stated that hunting “is about helping bears succeed over the long term in our state.”
How does killing any animal help it succeed?
I wonder what the bears think about that.
Let’s be honest: the bear hunt is about eliminating animals so that developers can take over their lands.
In a separate July 10 article, Warthen said studies have shown that bear cubs that weigh more than 30 pounds have “an equal chance of survival whether it’s with its mother or not.”
That is rubbish! Black bears cubs stay with their mothers a minimum of 1.5 years. That would be like tossing a child into the wilderness at young age and expecting it to survive.
How many studies were conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission?
One last thing: the bear hunt was supposed to be decided upon in August, but the FWC has already determined that it’s “still on schedule for December.” What about letting the public decide?
Seems to me that the FWC is against animals, not for them.
Lisa Tongue, Bradenton
Deportation raids cruel, out of control
If you voted for President Donald Trump thinking he would deport only illegal immigrants or those who commit crimes, guess again.
Trump’s Immigration and Custom Enforcement goons, masked and without badges or IDs, are disappearing anyone they deem “suspicious.” They show up at courthouses to detain people who are trying to obtain legal status, including a 6-year-old boy with leukemia.
Trump henchmen Stephen Miller and Tom Homan – along with Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem – are gleefully carrying out the president’s agenda and ignoring due process.
Meanwhile, produce is rotting in the fields, and states are missing the taxes these workers paid.
(Yes, they pay taxes – and they do not receive Social Security.)
To hold some of these people, Gov. Ron DeSantis has opened a detention center in the Florida Everglades. Never mind the effects on the environment and ancestral land.
Please call your federal and local representatives, and tell them you will not turn a blind eye to this intentional cruelty.
Linda Dirk, Lakewood Ranch
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida says killing black bears will help them survive. Huh? | Letters
Reporting by Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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