On November 27, 1993, the New York Times reported that wildlife biologists have found a direct link between the increase in the human population in Florida and the decline of the local black bear population. From 1953 to 1993, the human population increased, on average, at a rate of 8% per year, while the black bear population decreased at a rate of 6% per year. In 1953 the black bear population was 11,000.