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October 10, 2003
Maryland plans first black bear hunt since 1953
by DAVID DISHNEAU/Associated Press Writer
The state will hold its first black bear hunt since 1953 next fall, targeting about 30 animals in far Western Maryland, a top wildlife manager said Thursday.
Wildlife advocates, meanwhile, promised a fight in the legislature and possibly the courts to block what they called a "trophy hunt."
Paul Peditto, director of the Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife and Heritage Service, said DNR Secretary C. Ronald Franks approved recommendations from a state task force to allow regulated bear hunting and permit farmers to shoot crop-damaging bears.
He said the administration probably will ask the General Assembly to end a novel Black Bear Conservation Stamp program implemented in 1996 that never has raised enough money to compensate farmers for crop damage.
"We know that we need to add more lethal control to our management strategies," Peditto said. Regulated hunting is "the most cost-effective and the most time-efficient means of managing wildlife species such as the black bear," he said.
Hunting permits would be distributed among applicants by lottery, and hunters would be encouraged to kill nuisance bears identified by cooperating landowners and the DNR, Peditto said.
Crop-damage permits would be reserved for "extreme circumstances where all other methods have failed," he said.
The hunt authorization follows more than a decade of debate over an increasingly troublesome Maryland bear population that has grown from an estimated 12 in 1956 to about 400 statewide, concentrated mostly in the mountains of Allegany and Garrett counties.
Peditto said the hunt, tentatively planned for late September and early October, would be aimed at reducing the estimated population of 300 bears west of Cumberland by 10 percent.
Wildlife advocates attacked the plan as a politically motivated "trophy hunt."
"Gov. (Robert) Ehrlich has quickly established himself as the worst governor for animals in Maryland's recent history," said Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president of the Washington-based Humane Society of the United States.
Pacelle vowed to "pursue every responsible means" of stopping a bear hunt, including protective legislation in the General Assembly. He said the DNR's action lends urgency to such a measure, which failed to pass this year.
Lawyers for The Fund for Animals are considering filing a lawsuit to block a hunt, said Michael Markarian, president of the Silver Spring-based group.
"We're going to call them out on the carpet and make sure that Maryland citizens understand this is a trophy hunt," he said. "It's a recreational opportunity for a handful of people that want bearskin rugs for their living rooms."
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On the Net:
Maryland Department of Natural Resources: http://www.dnr.state.md.us
The Fund for Animals: http://www.fund.org
Humane Society of the United States: http://www.hsus.org
Maryland plans first black bear hunt since 1953
by DAVID DISHNEAU/Associated Press Writer
The state will hold its first black bear hunt since 1953 next fall, targeting about 30 animals in far Western Maryland, a top wildlife manager said Thursday.
Wildlife advocates, meanwhile, promised a fight in the legislature and possibly the courts to block what they called a "trophy hunt."
Paul Peditto, director of the Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife and Heritage Service, said DNR Secretary C. Ronald Franks approved recommendations from a state task force to allow regulated bear hunting and permit farmers to shoot crop-damaging bears.
He said the administration probably will ask the General Assembly to end a novel Black Bear Conservation Stamp program implemented in 1996 that never has raised enough money to compensate farmers for crop damage.
"We know that we need to add more lethal control to our management strategies," Peditto said. Regulated hunting is "the most cost-effective and the most time-efficient means of managing wildlife species such as the black bear," he said.
Hunting permits would be distributed among applicants by lottery, and hunters would be encouraged to kill nuisance bears identified by cooperating landowners and the DNR, Peditto said.
Crop-damage permits would be reserved for "extreme circumstances where all other methods have failed," he said.
The hunt authorization follows more than a decade of debate over an increasingly troublesome Maryland bear population that has grown from an estimated 12 in 1956 to about 400 statewide, concentrated mostly in the mountains of Allegany and Garrett counties.
Peditto said the hunt, tentatively planned for late September and early October, would be aimed at reducing the estimated population of 300 bears west of Cumberland by 10 percent.
Wildlife advocates attacked the plan as a politically motivated "trophy hunt."
"Gov. (Robert) Ehrlich has quickly established himself as the worst governor for animals in Maryland's recent history," said Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president of the Washington-based Humane Society of the United States.
Pacelle vowed to "pursue every responsible means" of stopping a bear hunt, including protective legislation in the General Assembly. He said the DNR's action lends urgency to such a measure, which failed to pass this year.
Lawyers for The Fund for Animals are considering filing a lawsuit to block a hunt, said Michael Markarian, president of the Silver Spring-based group.
"We're going to call them out on the carpet and make sure that Maryland citizens understand this is a trophy hunt," he said. "It's a recreational opportunity for a handful of people that want bearskin rugs for their living rooms."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Net:
Maryland Department of Natural Resources: http://www.dnr.state.md.us
The Fund for Animals: http://www.fund.org
Humane Society of the United States: http://www.hsus.org
