Black Bears in Washington Won’t Be Hunted this Spring for the First Time in Over Two Decades
Conservationists and animal advocates applaud the decision that will “protect bear cubs from being orphaned by a reckless spring hunt”.
For the first time since 1999, black bears in Washington will be protected from hunters this spring after the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission (WDFW) voted 5-4 against the annual slaughter.
“This vote is a big win for both science and black bears, and it will protect bear cubs from being orphaned by a reckless spring hunt,” said Sophia Ressler, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.
Spring bear hunts in Washington had been postponed for 2022 following a split 4-4 vote on the issue last November. The vote was prompted after outcry from wildlife advocates, scientists, and Washington residents, who were concerned about the hunt’s possible threats to the bear population, including the potential to orphan bear cubs when nursing mothers are killed in the spring.
Following this, Commissioner Fred Koontz resigned, partially because of this controversial vote, and Governor Jay Inslee appointed three new commissioners. Just days before these new members took their posts, the commision received a pro-hunt petition asking for the 2022 spring bear hunt to be reinstated. January 2022, saw the commission semi-reverse their ruling, voting 4-to-3 to reconsider the spring hunt.
“The fact that a second vote on a bear season even occurred is shocking,” said Ressler. “It reeks of corruption that department staff and commissioners did the bidding of bear hunters by pushing this proposal to the commission only days before Gov. Inslee appointed new members.”
The WDFW commission will reexamine its decision in June by looking at the black bear population, spring hunting seasons, and the concerns raised by hunters and conservationists.
Washington is home to between 25,000 - 30,000 black bears, according to Stephanie Simek, the WFWD’s carnivore, furbearer and small game section manager. Conservationists argue that the spring hunt is particularly cruel because bears are sluggish and weak after emerging from their dens following winter hibernation. On top of targeting vulnerable bears, hunters often orphan yearlings and cubs, many of whom then succumb to starvation, predation or weather exposure.
“By voting no on this proposal, five commissioners cast a vote in favor of science, transparency, and accountability, and showed that the commission will no longer simply act as a mindless rubber stamp for department proposals,” said Samantha Bruegger, executive director for Washington Wildlife First, an organization that has long campaigned for an end to the spring bear hunt.”
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