Nearly 1,000 American Black Bears Have Been Killed for Sport in Maryland – Let’s Stop This!

Our planet is facing an unprecedented mass extinction of species, which will change life as we know it and ultimately lead to our demise. This ominous fate for the future makes today’s conservation efforts indispensable and our only hope for a future of biodiversity and a healthy earth.

As a petition on Care2 explains, one in four mammals are at risk of extinction today. One would hope that with such daunting facts regarding extinction, that the government and authorities would step in to help preserve what is left of our wildlife and natural resources. However, the petition states that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is doing just the opposite – they are promoting and condoning the hunt of wild American black bears for sport!

In 1953, only twelve black bears remained in Maryland, prompting conservationists to take action and help rebuild their populations. Over the decades, bear populations began to grow in the state, and Conservation efforts were not in vain. Since 2004, however, the state has permitted the hunting of this species, leading to the unnecessary murderous death of 925 American black bears, 103 of which were cubs. 

As the petition points out, these black bears are essential for a healthy ecosystem, planting fruit seeds and controlling larvae and moth populations. They also form no imminent threat to humans, are not destructive, and only come into sight of humans as a result of human’s encroaching on the bears’ natural territory.

Yet another barbaric bear hunt is scheduled to take place this October 23-26, 2017, and this petition is aimed to speak out against this and stop it before it is too late.

Please take a moment to sign this petition in Support of Maryland’s black bears, and please share this with your friends and family to educate them on this extremely important issue.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons