In this episode of Big Blend Radio’s Nature Connection Show, we expose the urgent threat facing Florida’s black bears: the proposed return of trophy hunting. Our featured guests—Adam Sugalski, founder of OneProtest, and Kathleen Walls, travel writer and animal rights activist—delve into the history, controversy, and consequences surrounding bear trophy hunting in the state.
Despite widespread public opposition, Florida officials are considering allowing trophy hunting again—this time with even more extreme and controversial methods. Proposed regulations include using dogs to chase down bears, and allowing bow hunting, both of which raise serious concerns about ethics, suffering, and safety. These changes reflect a broader shift: from traditional, regulated practices to high-tech and high-cruelty tactics that prioritize trophies over wildlife protection.
Key issues discussed include: - The cruelty of using dogs to hunt bears, often resulting in prolonged chases and violent encounters. - The dangers and suffering caused by bow hunting, which can leave bears wounded and dying slowly. - How modern technology—like GPS collars and high-powered optics—makes killing easier, reducing fair chase and undermining conservation claims. - The false narrative that trophy hunters are conservationists. - The economic motivations behind these changes, often benefiting landowners and developers. - How urban expansion is shrinking bear habitat, making coexistence—not killing—essential. - The growing role of public activism and protest in challenging these proposals and defending wildlife.
This conversation calls attention to the real motives behind trophy hunting and stresses the importance of ethical wildlife management rooted in science and compassion. If you're passionate about protecting animals and opposing cruelty disguised as tradition, this episode will inform, outrage, and inspire you to take action.
🎧 Learn more and get involved: https://www.beardefenders.org/ 📖 Read Kathleen Walls' article, The Bear Facts: https://www.americanroads.net/bear_5-9-2025.htm 🌱 Visit OneProtest: https://www.oneprotest.org/
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