A 2-year-old's birthday party in Connecticut took an
unexpectedly sweet turn when a black bear showed up uninvited to indulge in some of the cupcakes left out on the table. Luckily, in this case, the bear left on its own accord and no one attending the party was harmed. But without adequate public awareness, and with no formal protocol for how to manage human-bear interactions,
this encounter could easily have been fatal for the innocent, curious bear.Sign now to demand Connecticut's Wildlife Division develop a public education and awareness campaign about bear interactions and a set of protocols to guarantee that no black bears are killed in these situations!Bear sightings and interactions like this are becoming more common in Connecticut.
In fact, there have been over 8,000 black bear sightings in the small state in this year alone. Clearly Connecticut's wildlife management agencies need to develop solid protocols for managing these interactions and a comprehensive public education campaign to train locals on what to do when faced with a black bear.
Together, these tools can ensure that no bear has to have a fatal human encounter, which unfortunately are all too common in wildlife management practices. Across the country local agencies have resorted to
simply killing animals who they deem a nuisance or threat to human well-being, even though we know that there are alternative wildlife management practices.
This instance ended happily, but if events had unfolded just a little differently, this encounter could have ended with a dead black bear. This is exactly why Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Wildlife Division must develop a comprehensive public education campaign and clear, formal protocol to ensure that no future encounters are fatal for black bears.
Sign the petition now if you agree!