This petition previously targeted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Thanks to updated information, the target has now been changed to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Yet again, an innocent animal has been unnecessarily killed by overly-eager law enforcement. This time, it was a beautiful black bear in Palm Beach, Florida. The bear, which had wandered into a residential neighborhood, was cornered and shot by local police while they were waiting for tranquilizers and trappers to arrive! Obviously, there were non-lethal options available for protecting nearby humans. Animals are already dying at alarming rates from climate change and poaching, so why do law enforcement continue to contribute to these plummeting wildlife populations by killing them needlessly?
Sign now to demand the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office stop using lethal methods when non-violent options are available to manage wildlife!
The bear, which had found itself in a local residential area, was spotted by a woman who was spending time outside. Aftering wandering and meandering, climbing up and down trees like bears do, it ended up in a tree that would ultimately be where it lost its life. Officers cornered the bear in the tree, trying to keep it up off the ground. But the bear had nowhere to run or hide, and no way of knowing that in trying to escape it would be met with death! The poor thing was tragically shot when it began climbing downward, trying to get away from humans. This bear was not posing an immediate threat to any people, and yet officers slaughtered it anyway. Even the Public Information Director for the South region of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreed that the bear should not have been shot.
Perhaps the worst part about this story is that it is clearly not the bear's fault that it wandered where it did. Habitat loss has dramatically altered where so many wild animals are able to live, roam, eat, and play that unfortunately these instances are increasingly common. But why should animals be killed for our poor land management and sprawling developments?
The local police claim that they waited for several hours for a trapper or tranquilizer, and simply had to "make a difficult decision." But that is no excuse when the life of an animal is at stake. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission must have better protocol in place to address these instances and get local authorities the resources they need as quickly as possible. Sign now to tell the Palm Beach County's Sheriff's Office: stop using lethal methods on animals in non-violent situations like this one! 
