'Cocaine Bear' or serious threat? Florida legislator warns of bears 'on crack'

If House Bill 87 called “Taking of Bears” passes in Florida, the state’s bear population could be in danger.

Republican state Rep. Jason Shoaf wants Florida to loosen regulations on the killing of wildlife, as he claims black bears that are high on crack are breaking into people’s homes and “tearing them apart,” as reported by The Guardian. He wasn’t talking about a sequel to the “Cocaine Bear” movie.

“We’re talking about the ones that are on crack, and they break your door down, and they’re standing in your living room growling and tearing your house apart,” Shoaf told a meeting of the Florida legislature’s house infrastructure strategies committee discussing his House Bill 87.

The bill, which was initially introduced last September, would remove most penalties for killing bears without authorization. Shoaf’s biography displays a passion for hunting, The Guardian reported.

“When you run into one of these crack bears, you should be able to shoot it, period,” Shoaf said, according to The Guardian. “And you shouldn’t have to pause or be afraid you’re gonna get arrested or harassed or pay fines. That’s just crazy.”

However, The Guardian could not find a documented incident of Florida’s estimated population of 4,050 black bears ingesting crack.

Yet, the bill has been advanced on party lines for a full house hearing, The Guardian reported.

An online petition against the bill was started by the wildlife advocacy group One Protest, and it has garnered over 19,000 signatures.

“These bills open the door for people to claim self-defense in instances where bears are not a threat,” the petition argues.

Shoaf argued that protections against animal cruelty and baiting would remain in the Taking of Bears bill, The Guardian reported. He accused the bill’s critics of “fearmongering” — insisting the bill will target “nuisance bears” affecting residential neighborhoods.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, there were only three incidents of “physical contact” between black bears and humans in 2023.

“While it is rare for bears to injure people in Florida, people have been bitten and scratched by bears defending themselves, cubs, or food sources,” the commission said. “Even though they are typically quiet and shy animals, they have the potential to seriously harm or kill people.”

And no fatal black bear attack on a human has ever been recorded in Florida, according to the commission, but in 2015, the state had its first black bear hunt where almost 300 were killed in just two days.