This week, Safari Club International filed a legal motion, supported by SCI’s Center for Conservation Law and Education, to intervene in a lawsuit that seeks to nullify Florida’s recently authorized 2025 black bear hunt. The lawsuit, funded by anti-hunters, challenges the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) August decision to authorize this hunt, the first in a decade.

SCI has long been a vocal advocate for a legal, regulated black bear hunt in Florida. SCI is proud to defend the recommendations of Florida’s wildlife science officials and the interests of the state’s hunters in court against anti-hunters who insist on denying the science of wildlife management and the essential role of hunting in reducing black bear population expansion.

The FWC’s allocation of 172 black bear tags is a very conservative number based on population data, rising human-bear conflicts, and the 300-plus vehicle strikes that Floridians and bears suffer each year. With Florida’s growing black bear population leading to more human-bear conflicts, and even a fatal attack this past summer, proper bear management has never been more urgent. Yet Bear Warriors United, an animal rights group with a history of ignoring science, has twice filed suit over this regulated hunt. SCI looks forward to defending the FWC’s science-based decision in court.

“SCI will continue to fight for hunters, science-backed conservation, and new hunting opportunities consistent with the right to fish and hunt recently enshrined in the Sunshine State,” said SCI President Jeff Meyerl. “SCI’s legal defense team is the tip of the spear when it comes to defending hunters’ rights, and we will not let this radical litigation thwart the years of hard work that made Florida’s legal bear hunt possible.”

About:

For over 50 years, SCI has led the fight to defend hunting rights and promote wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI is the only hunting rights organization with a national and international advocacy team based in Washington, D.C., and an all-species focus. With more than 160 chapters and affiliate networks representing millions of hunters, SCI is the leading force for responsible, science-driven wildlife management.

The SCI Center for Conservation Law and Education, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, mobilizes SCI’s in-house legal counsel, state liaisons, and the “Hunters’ Embassy” on Capitol Hill to bolster SCI’s mission. Together, these professionals litigate mission-critical cases, educate wildlife commissions and support science-based decision-making at the state level, and educate federal lawmakers and staff about issues of importance to hunting and wildlife conservation. The Center provides a tax-deductible mechanism for Chapters, members, and donors to give directly to SCI’s legal battles and public education engagements.