Environmentalists protested around Florida, a day before the state’s bear hunt.

More than 3,500 people have bought a permit for the hunt, as many hunters as there are bears in the state.

A few dozen protesters gathered at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. They hoisted posters describing it as a trophy hunt and calling on Gov. Rick Scott to stop it.

Randall Cannon is a veterinarian in Winter Park. He says the hunt is the wrong way to manage a population that wildlife authorities say is poised to outgrow its habitat.

“That’s a man-made problem. When you put development in bear territory, those people know very well they’re going into bear territory. We’re in their territory.”

The protest was among a dozen statewide.