Block That Bear Hunt! Citizens and Animal Groups Fight to Save Bears' Lives

Photo: Up Close Picture of a Black Bear staring into the camera

Black Bear Task Force Frequently Asked Questions Legislative History Links and Resources Multimedia Natural History Recent News July 24 Rally for the Bears Would you like to receive the latest campaign news or learn about an event near you? your email address: » Tell Governor Ehrlich and Secretary Franks to Oppose Bear Hunting		About Maryland Bears Block That Bear Hunt! Citizens and Animal Groups Fight to Save Bears' Lives ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 25, 2004) - Animal protection groups and political leaders will hold a briefing today to discuss reasons why Maryland should stop its plan for the state's first black bear hunt in 50 years. The briefing will be held prior to the public hearing before the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review, which has jurisdiction over state agency regulations. The committee will vote on the proposed bear hunt regulations put forth by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Governor Robert Ehrlich. Speakers at the briefing will include Wayne Pacelle, president of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Michael Markarian, president of The Fund for Animals, Senator Sharon Grosfeld (D-18), and Delegate Barbara Frush (D-21). The briefing will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Lowe House Office Building. "We are taking this opportunity to let the public know that they need to speak out on behalf of the bears who will be cruelly and unnecessarily killed in this hunt," said Michael Markarian, president of The Fund for Animals. "It is unconscionable that Governor Ehrlich and the DNR are breaking Maryland's fifty-year tradition of protecting bears just so a small group of trophy hunters can get a bearskin rug." The Maryland black bear population, once hunted to near extinction, is now estimated by the DNR to be between 266 and 437 bears. Governor Ehrlich and the DNR have proposed a trophy hunt of 30 bears to take place this fall, despite a lack of scientific studies on how the hunt would impact the bear population and a lack of analysis of black bear habitat needs. "We are encouraged that the committee is examining the state's plan for a hunt," said Wayne Pacelle, president of The HSUS. "Unbelievably, Governor Ehrlich and DNR have ignored non-lethal strategies that would mitigate the occasional bear damage on crops and further reduce the already infrequent encounters between people and bears. There is a reason Maryland has not had a bear hunt in half a century-there just isn't the need for one." The Fund for Animals and The HSUS have appealed to the Governor and the DNR to call off the bear hunt and have offered $75,000 to augment the state's educational programs teaching people to solve bear conflicts, and to compensate farmers fully for agricultural damage caused by bears. The offer has not been accepted. For more information on the campaign to save Maryland black bears, please visit www.MarylandBears.com.