Maryland Bears

What's at Stake
Black bears, once nearly extinct in Maryland, their population numbering 12 individuals, have made a remarkable comeback. The state's small population now includes approximately 266 to 437 bears. But after 50 years of protection, the Maryland government approved a bear hunt in 2004 in which 20 bears were killed. Maryland repeated this deadly mistake with a hunt in 2005--that year 40 bears were killed. Last year another 41 bears were taken as trophies--but we can stop these trophy hunts with your help.

The truth is, there are no reports of even a single person being killed by a bear in all of Maryland's history. Though interactions have increased from a time when there were only a dozen of the bruins existing in the state, dealing with bear-human conflicts is simple and hunting simply will not reduce problems with the animals, nor will it likely reduce the overall bear population in the state.

TAKE ACTION!
Help Save Maryland's Bears from Another Senseless Slaughter!
Governor Martin O'Malley needs to hear from constituents asking that he put a stop to Maryland's black bear trophy hunt that was begun by the previous administration.

Please call Governor O'Malley at at (410) 974-3591 or 1 (800) 811-8336 and ask him to stop the bear hunt, and recommend that Maryland use more effective non-lethal methods of resolving conflicts with black bears. Follow up your phone call with a quick email here.

Faceoff: Should Maryland Have a Bear Hunt? (July 23, 2006)
Cumberland Times-News staffers debate the Maryland bear hunt. Is it population control, or just a trophy hunt with no tradition in Maryland?

Maryland's bear hunt -- even worse the second time
In October 2005, The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conducted another hunt of Maryland's vulnerable bears, leading to the deaths of 40 black bears.

Links and Resources

The Maryland Bear Hunt Debate (audio)

Can't Bear It (video)

Wayne Pacelle on the Maryland Bear Hunt (audio)

Bear Baiting (video)