SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Millions of acres of California's bear habitat have suffered years of severe drought and wildfires. Now, an influential animal welfare organization is calling for a ban on black bear hunting, at least until scientific studies can prove the population is healthy.
Next month, the California Fish and Game Commission, which sets state hunting regulations, will hear a petition from the Humane Society of the United States that urges the board to suspend the state's upcoming bear season that begins in late summer.
The Humane Society is challenging the Department of Fish and Wildlife's long-standing assertion the state's black bear population is healthy and has nearly tripled in recent decades to at least 30,000 to 40,000 animals statewide.
