Editorial: Florida's wildlife lovers snap back, saving bears $5 at a time

When the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the state’s first official black-bear hunt in a decade, many Floridians were heartsick — already mourning 172 bears the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission designated for slaughter in a hunt scheduled for December.

But then they rallied, and fought back with a barrage of $5 bills that could protect dozens of those otherwise-doomed bears. A coalition of environmental groups started pooling money to buy entries into the lottery that would determine who got a permit to kill a bear.

Under the rules approved by the state for handing out permits, potential hunters could submit an application and a $5 fee, with the state conducting a lottery to determine who among those people got one of the coveted toe-tags (priced