Don't pick up dead Black Bears in Florida

As tempting as it may be to pick up a black bear carcass from the side of the road – it turns out its illegal in Florida.

An incident actually came up last week, when an Orange City plumber heard about a large, dead black bear on Interstate 4 in Volusia County. He thought he'd like to get it mounted, so he sent his son and two employees to go pick it up. A DOT officer told them they could take the carcass, but they needed to check with the FWC. Somewhere along the way there was a misunderstanding and nobody called the FWC.

Instead, the three men just took the dead bear back to the plumbing shop where it was skinned so the hide could be mounted, and the meat was cut into steaks. Before long, they heard a news report that the FWC was looking for the bear carcass, so they called the FWC and explained what had happened.

The men didn’t get in any trouble because another law enforcement officer told them they could take the bear, the father called in to report the whole thing, they didn't try to hide the parts and willingly cooperated with the investigation, but they did get a written warning. The meat was disposed of – The FWC said it will keep the hide to help educate people about Florida black bears.

And in case you are wondering what the proper procedure is if you do see a dead bear on the side of the road – You should report it to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-3922 and keep driving. An official will be along to remove it.


http://www.oysterradio.com
e-mail manager@oysterradio.com with comments