A Florida lawmaker seeking looser regulations on the killing of wildlife has claimed that black bears high on crack are breaking into people’s homes and “tearing them apart”.
The allegation from Republican state congressman Jason Shoaf, whose biography reveals a passion for hunting, is bizarre even by the already unorthodox standards of Florida, which in recent times has boasted cocaine sharks and marauding herpes-ridden monkeys.
“We’re talking about the ones that are on crack, and they break your door down, and they’re standing in your living room growling and tearing your house apart,” Shoaf told a meeting of the Florida legislature’s house infrastructure strategies committee discussing his House Bill 87, which would remove most penalties for killing bears without authorization.
“When you run into one of these crack bears, you should be able to shoot it, period. And you shouldn’t have to pause or be afraid you’re gonna get arrested or harassed or pay fines. That’s just crazy.”
The Guardian was unable to find a documented incident of any of Florida’s estimated population of 4,050 black bears having ingested crack, and Shoaf did not return a request for clarification.
His colleagues, however, appeared swayed by his argument, and advanced the bill on party lines for a full house hearing.
A parallel bill in Florida’s Republican-dominated senate is also making progress, increasing the chances that permit requirements for killing bears under certain conditions may soon be dropped, along with an obligation that the state’s fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) investigate all bear deaths.
Shoaf, arguing that his Taking of Bears bill “is not about bears”, said protections against animal cruelty and baiting would remain. He accused critics of “fearmongering” and insisted his target was “nuisance bears” increasingly encroaching on residential neighborhoods in search of food, posing an elevated risk to humans and pets.
But opponents say the bill will allow people to kill bears even if no threat exists, then argue self-defense because they know FWC would no longer have authority to investigate.
An online petition against the bill by the wildlife advocacy group One Protest has amassed almost 20,000 signatures, and takes aim at what it says are some of Shoaf’s assertions.
“He says that under current law you can’t kill a bear in self-defense if the bear enters your home. That is untrue,” Adam Sugalski, the group’s executive director, said in a message accompanying the petition.
“We already have a right to self-defense against any person or animal that we kill because we reasonably believe our lives or our loved ones, pets included, are in danger. His description of bears is, of course, grossly exaggerated. Bears are not the man-eating monsters he would like you to believe they are.”
FWC figures would appear to back him up. The commission recorded only three incidents of “physical contact” between black bears and humans in 2023, all in north-east or north-central Florida.
“While it is rare for bears to injure people in Florida, people have been bitten and scratched by bears defending themselves, cubs, or food sources,” the commission said in online advice.
“Even though they are typically quiet and shy animals, they have the potential to seriously harm or kill people.”
Black bear sightings in the state are prevalent, from beaches to downtown shopping areas. One was found last year roaming Florida’s most popular tourist attraction, Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, before being trapped and returned to the wild.
The creatures, the FWC says, are generally quiet and prefer to avoid human encounters unless they feel threatened or cornered. No fatal bear attack on a human has ever been recorded in Florida.
In 2015, wildlife officials brought the state’s controversial first black bear hunt in 20 years to a premature finish when almost 300 were killed in only two days.
Despite his promotion of the bill, Shoaf maintained that he had nothing against black bears.
“We love bears. Bears are cute and cuddly and an amazing creature,” he said.
“This is about a nuisance bear that has become conditioned to coming into people’s homes. You have heard it time and again that bears are shy and scared and they are timid. They stay away. That’s true. Those aren’t the bears we’re talking about in this bill.”
