Proposed bill to allow bear hunting shot down

A proposal to allow bear hunting in Connecticut was shot down by the Legislature’s Environment Committee on Wednesday.

Friends of Animals cheered the 21-8 vote, saying it was pleased “common sense and truth prevailed.”

Group President Priscilla Feral said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection “needs to advance education without shooting animals to death, and they can’t be the mouthpiece for only 1 percent of state residents who hunt.”

Another statement from Friends of Animals correspondent Nicole Rivard said: “Bear-proof garbage cans and education, not guns, are what’s needed to prevent human/black bear conflict in Litchfield County, where a whopping 182,571 people live and a paltry 235 black bears reside. DEEP already has a nuisance bear program in place — there were only five nuisance black bears in the entire state in 2017. As one state biologist told us recently, black bears are actually shy.

“Shooting bears in a bear trophy hunt will not teach the ones who aren’t slaughtered not to be opportunistic feeders. But educating people about how their behaviors enhance risks will make a difference,” Rivard said.

Bear hunting was one of three bills before the General Assembly’s Environment Committee.

Two other separate hunting bills would establish a first-ever night hunt for coyote and statewide Sunday bow hunting on private land for deer. The committee approved the bow hunting bill in a 19-10 vote, while no vote was taken on the coyote bill.

During Friday’s public hearing, each bill drew a large following of opponents who disagreed with any expansion of hunting and supporters who cited a growing infringement of potentially dangerous animals into populated areas as justification for expanded hunting.

At the hearing, Friends of Animals said there have been no fatal bear attacks in Connecticut.

Susan Whalen, a deputy commissioner for DEEP, said there are an estimated 800 bears in Connecticut, and the population is growing by 10 percent a year. Whalen said DEEP supports bear hunting by permit in Litchfield County to reduce the numbers.

At the hearing, Chris Marino, secretary of the Northwest Connecticut Sportsman’s Council, said hunting is an effective tool to control all wildlife, including coyotes.

“As a management tool, this bill could be effective in addressing coyote predation on deer, as well as pets and livestock,” Marino said. “Another consideration regarding the coyote and other large, mammalian predators is that their numbers are so high now that they stand alongside of deer as major tick carriers in the state.”

Friends of Animals Communications Director Fran Silverman said, “Allowing a bear hunt will not make residents in the state safe. In fact, there is a weak correlation between the population of black bears and bear attacks, according to a study in The Journal of Wildlife Management. Bear-human conflict is more closely correlated with human behavior.”

Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Protester Vicki Tooley stands outside state Superior Court in Norwalk before Antonio Lio, 28, of Wilton, is arraigned on two counts of illegal taking of a black bear and fourth-degree negligent hunting; and Daniel Moran, 33, of Norwalk, is arraigned on...