New York, NY – Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan) slammed the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for carrying out its diabolical plan, disclosed with great pride via press release, to artificially increase New York State’s bear population to increase profits derived from bear hunting. DEC’s press release stated, “DEC’s science based management strategies are working to increase the bear population in New York and allow for expanded hunting.”

“In a perverse twist of its mission, the DEC, the state agency charged with protecting and managing wildlife, is breeding bears just to provide hunters with more opportunities to kill them,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. “There is nothing scientific about artificially propagating a species only to give hunters an opportunity to shoot and kill them. This is sick and DEC has absolutely nothing about which to be proud.”

According to the DEC’s press release, 1,715 black bears were killed by hunters in 2015 (the second largest “bear harvest” on record), generating millions of dollars in revenue to the state.

“Hunting may be an economic boon to the state, it is appalling that the State would take an active role in breeding bears whose sole purpose is to be born in order for them to be killed. This is not wildlife management, this is appalling.”