This is in response to V. Paul Reynolds’ column “Another bear referendum? Forget about it!” (Feb. 17).

Bears are beloved in Maine. They serve as the mascot of our largest university and hundreds of thousands of citizens tuned in to “bear cams” to watch some of the state’s research bears, such as“Lugnut” and “Spunky.” Yet, despite that apparent admiration of bears, Maine laws subject them to some of the most abusive and unnecessary treatment, all in the name of sport.

Maine is the only place left in the country that sanctions the antiquated cruelty of bear trapping. Bears are lured to snare traps with piles of rotting food and then left to suffer in the painful devices for hours, waiting for the trapper to arrive and kill them at point blank range.

Bears in Maine are subjected to the inhumane practice of hounding, where packs of dogs wearing high-tech GPS collars are released to chase the frightened animals. The chase can last hours and when the exhausted bear takes refuge in a tree, the shooter follows the dogs’ GPS signals and blasts the defenseless animal off a tree branch.

Ridding the state of these unsporting practices is long overdue.

Thankfully, legislation has been introduced to do just that, along with upgrading penalties for repeat bear poachers and prohibiting the trade in bear parts.

It is time to end Maine’s notorious distinction as the only place in the country where all those forms of cruelty coexist. State legislators should support the Maine Bear Protection Act.

Katie Hansberry, Maine state director for The Humane Society of the United States