Bear Huggers
Wildlife activists head to Monterey for hearing on bear hunting.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Bear hunters are likely to face fierce opposition at a California Fish and Game Commission meeting in Monterey tomorrow, when the commission will hear a state proposal to dramatically increase bear hunting.
According to animal protection group Big Wildlife, the proposed changes would:
- allow an unlimited number of bears to be killed across California during the trophy hunting season;
- permit the use of high-tech global positioning equipment and “tip switches” on hound collars to make it easy to locate and kill a bear;
- open the first-ever bear hunting season in San Luis Obispo County and expand the trophy hunts in Modoc and Lassen counties; and
- significantly expand the hound training season, allowing hounds to harass bears nearly all year long.
“If adopted, bears would have few places to hide in California,” said Brian Vincent, communications director for Big Wildlife. "Chasing bears and their cubs to exhaustion with packs of hounds is barbaric and scientifically indefensible. This isn't sport. It is legalized cruelty."
Nearly 70 animal welfare, conservation, faith-based and community groups plan to submit a letter urging the commission to reject the proposal.
The public meeting begins at 8:30am Wednesday, April 8, La Grande Room, Beach Resort Monterey, 2600 Sand Dunes Drive, Monterey.
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