Who can stop the bear massacre?
The people have spoken. They have voted in polls; the scientists have put forward their results; individuals have organized; people have protested and lawsuits have been filed.
A poll conducted by the Naples Daily News recorded 92% of respondents against the planned Dec. 6 bear hunt. The independent Remington Research Group found 81% are against the upcoming bear slaughter.
Editorial: It’s almost dying time for dozens of Florida’s black bears
Florida’s people are ignored — and bear families are facing an unprecedented hell world of hurt.
The children and teens who are part of my organization, Be an Animal Hero, are heartbroken. I wake up at 4 a.m. and think about it. Meanwhile, bear families have no idea of the slow, grisly deaths the hunter/land developer Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commissioners have planned for them.
Black bears are going into their lethargic hibernation period. Their bodies slow down, including the cubs who are cared for by their mothers for two or three years. At a check station during the last bloody spree in 2015, one bear killer laughed about how he had to tear a cub off the body of their dead mother. I thought at the time the trophy “hunt” couldn’t get any more disgustingly cruel. I was wrong.
Hunters can lure bears with food in certain areas, play recordings of cubs calling out for help or use automatic bows and arrows. There will be no check stations and little oversight.
During the 2015 hunt, approximately 304 bears were killed. The first one reported was a lactating female.
Who can stop the impending bear massacre? The same person who appointed the hunter and land developers to the FWC and put those who kill for fun in charge of deciding who to kill.
Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Susan Hargreaves Jupiter
Susan Hargreaves is an animal activist and the founder of BEanAnimalHero.org, a project of Animal Hero Kids.
Life is becoming less affordable
In reading the Sentinel’s Nov. 25 endorsement of Roger Chapin for Orlando City Council, I was intrigued by the statement, “We’re not saying that the economic elite should run the city. But we are arguing that people who have worked, invested and brought jobs to this community need the chance to be heard.” It’s a good point, but are wealthy businessmen really at a disadvantage in Orlando?
On a recent visit to Wekiwa Springs State Park, we were shocked at how expensive it is to hire a canoe. Prices have increased dramatically for this service over the last three years. The youth camp was an affordable spot for gatherings, but now use of the camp kitchen is no longer allowed and you must use the catering service (which in my opinion supplies terrible food at high prices). State parks, being public property, should remain affordable to all.
Rosalind Kirupavathy Oviedo
Concern for caregivers
Families live with fear and uncertainty as cruel immigration policies terrify the caregivers who hold our communities together. From child care providers to home health aides, immigrant caregivers play an essential role.
Yet instead of investing in care and stability, Republican members of Congress are cutting health care, nutrition and child care and funneling billions of tax dollars to fund separating families and terrorizing immigrant caregivers.
Caregivers allow parents to work, for children to learn and grow, and for older adults to live with dignity.
When trusted workers are torn from their jobs and families, the ripple effects are devastating. Children lose beloved teachers, patients lose consistent care, and families lose the stability that keeps them afloat.
Our nation needs a safe, orderly immigration process that balances compassion and security and ensures that our immigrant caregivers are treated with dignity and respect — not cuts to programs, and not cruelty.
Patrick MacVittie Oakland Park
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