Black bear numbers have grown steadily after being classified as a “threatened” animal from 1974 to 2012 in the state. There are now an estimated 4,000 bears in Florida. The decision comes after preliminary approval that was given in May—the same month that Florida saw its first fatal black bear attack in Florida— the mauling of 89-year-old Robert Markel in the unincorporated town of Collier County in Jerome,

The first black bear hunt in Florida in a decade takes place in December under a rule adopted Wednesday by state wildlife officials

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) discusses the state's first bear hunt in a decade.