Maine Wildlife Officials Want to Scuttle Bear-Hunting Referendum
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State says Question 1 would ‘cripple’ its ability to control the bear population.
There are an estimated 30,000 bears in the state of Maine, one of the largest bear populations of any U.S. state. In November, voters in the Pine Tree State will consider a ballot proposal that would ban certain bear-hunting techniques, including using bait, dogs or traps, that animal rights advocates say are cruel.
State officials with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife have launched an education campaign to make their stance on the referendum loud and clear: They don’t like Question 1 and don’t want Maine voters to approve it.
According to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife:
The Department is opposed to Question 1. As the agency responsible for the conservation of Maine’s wildlife, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is taking an active role in providing Mainers with information about why we are opposed to this referendum.
The Department opposes Question 1 since if it passes, it would cripple the Department’s ability to control the bear population. That will lead to more nuisance bear complaints and increased threats to public safety. More bears will die from disease and starvation. Towns and property owners will face increased costs to deal with nuisance bears.
Watch the state’s video explaining its stance on Question 1:
The Humane Society of the United States has been behind getting Question 1 on the Maine ballot, according to Field & Stream magazine:
Last winter, the HSUS hired a California firm to help gather the signatures needed to get the referendum on this fall's ballot. The HSUS also provided $700,000 to a local front group, Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting, which contends that the use of hounds and foothold cable restraints is "cruel and unsporting," and that baiting has contributed to Maine's burgeoning bear population by providing additional feed. They claim black bears can be kept in check with the same harvesting techniques that are used by whitetail deer hunters.
State wildlife biologists, however, say that's nonsense.
Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting believes that bears “are majestic and beloved creatures in Maine,” according to the group’s website. “Yet it is the only state to allow statewide hounding, baiting, and trapping. These are cruel and unsporting practices that do not reflect Maine values.”
(Image via Vacclav/Shutterstock.com)