Black bears killed

Black bears making their way into local neighborhoods has caught a lot of peoples eyes this week. In yet another case, Fish and Wildlife investigators in Collier County are trying to find out whos responsible for killing two black bears, then dumping their bodies along State Road 29.
Theyre among the largest creatures making their homes in Southwest Florida and twice in the last few months, theyve turned up shot to death along the roadside.
They were transported over there, dumped and made it to look like they were possibly hit by a car," said Lt. Wayne Maahs of Florida Fish & Wildlife.
Maahs says the two black bears were intentionally killed.
A threatened species in our state, bears dont ordinarily pose a danger to people but they do like to rummage through the garbage for food and thats where the problem comes in.
The bear will come along and try to get a free hand out, so we have a lot of confrontations here between them," Maahs said.
In all likelihood, these 200 pound bears were shot because they were being a nuisance to people in the area. However, authorities encourage people to never take matters into their own hands and to follow the procedures in place to handle problem bears.
We actually found a little piece of paper inside one of the bears mouth, so its possible he was in the trashcan, or trying to get into something, when he got shot," Maahs said.
Whomever is responsible for the killing the bears could face up to five years in jail, and a fine of several thousand dollars. Its unknown if the shootings are related, but what authorities do know is that theres someone out there with information that can lead to an arrest and a cash reward waiting in exchange.
The bears are here to stay, people are definitely here to stay, so we might as well try to get along with them and there are things we can do to make this confrontation better," Maahs said.
Anyone with information on the shootings of the black bears in Collier County is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for up to $1,000 in cash rewards. Tips may also be made online at www.swflcrimestoppers.org.

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[threeby8887]

What have we come to when we make a big deal about some people practicing pest control by shooting a couple of bears? You do know bears can be destructive and dangerous animals, right?

These people SHOULD NOT be put in jail. Maybe give them a small fine if you just have to and if that state is that desperate for money, but leave these people alone. Who knows, they might even have saved one or more persons' lives by dispatching the bears, that were probably problem bears.

[Cdubzhappy]

I'm going to school in southwest FL and I have to say that these people make me fucking sick. Just last year a black bear cub wandered into this shitbag's backyard over here and he walked over to it and shot it in the head with a .357. Necks make me sick.

[zynski64]

This is too Mr Maahs, My name is John Maahs Ive been trying to get a job in state parks but Indiana just dont have any jobs at all, is there anyway i can get ahold of you?

[BlackBearsLove]

Throw these motherfuckers in jail. Then kill them.

[Kamikuru77]

@choppincrop29 It is ok I do it daily in canada

[choppincrop29]

this is sad that there are  people that will shoot bears and think its ok