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Despite public outcry, North Carolina has approved the violent killing of black bears in three of the state's bear sanctuaries. With few exceptions, black bears have been protected throughout their natural habitats in North Carolina for decades. Thankfully, a new bill has been introduced to stop these shortsighted plans. We must urge North Carolina legislators to support House Bill 1072 to save vulnerable bear populations to agonizing deaths!

North Carolina's picturesque sanctuaries attract visitors from all over the world who hope to enjoy the scenery and see the state's iconic black bears. In a mind-bogglingly short-sighted decision, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has ruled to allow the hunting of black bears in the Mount Pisgah, Standing Indian, and Panthertown-Bonas Defeat bear sanctuaries, and to re-designate the 22 bear sanctuaries in the state as “designated bear management areas.” If this rule stands, black bears will be callously gunned down by hunters and viciously ripped apart by hunting dogs in their natural habitats. We must take immediate action to stop this reckless violence.

Hunting black bears within sanctuaries that they have occupied for decades is a brutal death sentence, not just to the individual bears and bear families who will be killed, but to the entire region's population. This disastrous decision will make the survival of young bears particularly challenging, as they are not yet able to survive on their own. Their mothers will be killed, leaving them highly vulnerable while their population numbers plummet.

Black bears typically reproduce every two years and can delay reproduction to avoid overpopulating specific areas based on the availability of resources. This phenomenon is a natural, non-violent method of controlling population density that does not require human intervention of any kind.

In addition to the agony and terror bear families will be subjected to at the hands of bloodthirsty hunters, local residents and businesses will also suffer. Over 45,000 small businesses rely on tourism in North Carolina and provide visitors with travel, retail, lodging, food and drinks, and more. The re-designation of sanctuaries into bear management areas will lead to huge losses for the local economy.

Like most animals, black bears are attracted to food. When carelessly left behind by humans in sanctuaries, hungry bears approach these areas. Simply disposing of food and utilizing the bear-proof food lockers installed at the sanctuaries will essentially eliminate unwanted bear-human interactions. Mercilessly killing bears for attempting to find the food left behind by humans, in areas they have populated for decades, is monstrously cruel, ridiculous, and ineffective. Indiscriminately killing bears does nothing to reduce bear-human conflicts.

Unsurprisingly, the wildlife commission received tens of thousands of letters opposing the rule from petitions created by multiple animal protection organizations. During the public comment period, 86% of the comments opposed the rule, as did the majority of NCWRC stakeholders. North Carolina state law requires a legislative review of rules that receive ten or more written letters that object to the ruling. Since the number of written objections vastly exceeded the ten-letter minimum, state legislators had 31 days from May 4 (the start of the legislative session) to file a bill that would disprove the wildlife commission's ruling. If the bill is passed and enacted, the rule will not take effect.

Thanks to you and everyone who has spoken out on this issue, North Carolina state Representatives Harrison, Carney, Rudow, and Ager have introduced House Bill 1072 to prohibit the killing of bears in bear sanctuaries! If this much-needed bill is enacted, the disastrous rule will not take effect.

Letter to Decision Maker(s) for reference:

Subject: Stop the Bloody Bear Hunts: Support House Bill 1072

As a North Carolina resident concerned with animal welfare and one of over 250,000 In Defense of Animals supporters, I’m writing to urge you to support House Bill 1072 to stop the killing of the state’s iconic black bears in sanctuaries!

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s recent decision to re-designate the 22 bear sanctuaries in the state as “designated bear management areas,” while allowing the hunting of black bears in the Mount Pisgah, Standing Indian, and Panthertown-Bonas Defeat sanctuaries is a mistake with disastrous consequences. If this rule stands, black bears will be callously gunned down by hunters and viciously ripped apart by hunting dogs in the areas they have populated for decades.

Black bears typically reproduce every two years and can delay reproduction to avoid overpopulating specific areas based on the availability of resources. This phenomenon is a natural, non-violent method of controlling population density without the need for human intervention of any kind.

In addition to the agony and terror bear families will be subjected to at the hands of bloodthirsty hunters, local residents and businesses will also suffer. Over 45,000 small businesses rely on tourism in North Carolina and provide visitors with travel, retail, lodging, food and drinks, and more. The re-designation of sanctuaries into bear management areas will lead to huge losses for the local economy. 

Like most animals, black bears are attracted to food. When carelessly left behind by humans in sanctuaries, hungry bears approach these areas. Simply disposing of food and utilizing the bear-proof food lockers installed at the sanctuaries, will essentially eliminate unwanted bear-human interactions. Mercilessly killing bears for attempting to find food left behind by humans, in areas they have populated for decades, is monstrously cruel and ridiculous. Indiscriminately killing bears does nothing to reduce bear-human conflicts and simple non-lethal methods must be utilized.

Unsurprisingly, the wildlife commission received tens of thousands of letters opposing the hunting of black bears in the three sanctuaries, as well as the redesignation of the sanctuaries into management areas, from petitions created by multiple animal protection organizations. During the public comment period, 86% of the comments opposed the rule, as did the majority of NCWRC stakeholders. 

We need you to take a stand against the impending violence and economic loss that will be caused by this new rule. Please uphold your responsibility to represent the interests of your constituents by supporting House Bill 1072 that will prohibit the hunting of bears in bear sanctuaries in North Carolina. Please do everything in your power to stop the senseless killing of black bears and redesignation of bear sanctuaries throughout the state.

Thank you for your consideration of this extremely urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Signed

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.