Connecticut Senate Amends Bill To Ban Trophy-Hunting & Votes Against Bear Hunting

Animals Asia

The Connecticut Senate voted against legislation that would have permitted a bear hunt in Connecticut for the first time in more than 100 years.

According to a Press Release issued by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), last week “the Senate removed language allowing a bear hunt through a legislative process known as a “strike all” amendment to S.B. 522 that instead forbids trophy hunters to import, possess or offer for sale or transport in Connecticut five species of African wildlife.”

Known as The Big 5, the five species alluded to are African elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, and buffalo.

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After the Senate approved the amendment, the bill transferred to the Judiciary Committee.

“We are thrilled that the Senate acted to squash Connecticut’s first black bear hunt in a century. The best available science indicates that a trophy bear hunt will not benefit public safety, as bear hunters seek large, trophy-sized male bears deep in the woods, not in our neighborhoods,” said Annie Hornish, Connecticut state director for HSUS. “Rather than killing this slow-to-reproduce species, people can employ commonsense measures to minimize encounters with bears, like using bear-resistant trash cans and feeding pets indoors.”

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The organization acknowledged Senators Martin Looney (D), Bob Duff (D), Beth Bye (D) and Gary Winfield (D) as well as Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, who issued the tie-breaking vote, for standing up for bears.