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It could soon be open season on bears in Florida, but as Matt Galka tells us, animal rights advocates say killing the animal isn’t the way to go about cutting down dangerous interactions with humans.

Protestors took to the state’s Fish and Wildlife meeting Wednesday. Bryan Wilson put on a bear costume before it began but took it off when he went inside.

“There are people here who want to hunt bear, and I don’t want to be in a room full of people who want to hunt bear wearing a bear costume,” said Wilson with the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida.

Wilson and others pleaded with the FWC to not allow a bear hunting season. It would be Florida’s first in 20 years.

“All of the scientific studies that have been done show no correlation between a bear hunt and the reduction of human bear conflicts. What does show reduction In human bear conflicts, are bear proof garbage cans, bear proof dumpsters, and bear education,” said Wilson.

But an uptick in bear and human interactions – including showing up on the front porches of houses and even attacking people – swayed the commission. Even though 75% of the feedback they’ve received was against the proposal.

“Most people that are commenting don’t understand enough about the wild. These bears are dangerous. Do you want blood on your hands? We don’t,” said FWC Chairman Richard Corbett.

The commission received guidance from New Jersey’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. The state authorized bear hunting in 2010. More than 1,800 bears have been killed in the garden state in 5 years.

“For the first three years of our hunt there was a statistical drop in incidents,” said Director David Chanda.

The Florida season would last for 7 days. The Florida black bear was just taken off the threatened species list in 2012.

The FWC approved the proposal in the first of two required votes to authorize a black bear hunting season. The statewide limit on bears killed during that time would be 175. They’re expecting to get updated population numbers in the summer.