In the debate over wildlife management efforts, science continues to triumph over misinformation.
On Dec. 11, the Missouri Conservation Commission greenlighted the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC)’s plan to allow a highly-regulated, limited black bear hunt next fall. This victory came in wake of a highly-coordinated, online smear campaign by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
HSUS grossly attacked MDC and its partners as proponents of so-called “trophy hunting” and bear cub killers. Adding insult to injury, this group deceived Missourians by floating unsubstantiated claims about management efforts, suggesting the hunt will “decimate nearly all the black bears in the state.” The special interest group conveniently ignored well-documented recovery efforts of the ubiquitous American black bear (Ursus americanus). Nor did they acknowledge the role hunters and similar conservationists have played in their recovery.