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 Home > News and alerts > You are here: Bear attack opens eyes to need for hunt in New Jersey Bear attack opens eyes to need for hunt in New Jersey (8/22/2002) Two years ago, anti-hunters stopped a black bear hunt in New
Jersey. Following the tragic death of a 5-month old girl who was
snatched from her stroller by a black bear in the Catskills of New York,
New Jersey citizens are taking a second look at the issue. "We definitely
need a hunt or what occurred in New York is going to happen here,"
said Elwood Knight, a member of the New Jersey Fish and Game Council,
the group responsible for adopting state Fish and Game Codes. Another Fish and
Game Council member, Fred Hough, had previously opposed the bear hunt.
He has now changed his tune. "I might vote
yes because bear education is not working," said Hough. "I
don’t want to see anyone killed or mauled, and it seems these bears
have brought it on themselves. They’re not afraid of us." Nancy Diamandes, a
mother of three who lives in Jefferson, New Jersey said that bears have
invaded her yard six times in the last year. She realizes that it is
time to "stop politicizing the hunt and let the hunters do what’s
best." With no hunting
season in place to control the black bear population, the number of bear
complaints in New Jersey is on the rise. The Division of Fish and
Wildlife reported 285 bear complaints in 1995. That number increased to
1,538 so far in 2002. Forty complaints have involved bears that have
broken into homes and another 19 were attempted break-ins. The New Jersey Fish
and Game Council approved changes to the state Game Code authorizing a
black bear season in 2000, but animal rights groups countered with
legislation to ban the hunt. Legislators heard from their anti-hunting
constituency and asked then Governor Christine Whitman to intercede. She
asked the Council to suspend the scheduled hunt. It complied with her
request. New Jersey is now
faced with AB 479 and S 1219, legislation that would prohibit black bear
hunting for five years. These bills would also strip the wildlife
management authority from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
by mandating that only the governor or legislature can issue a permit to
take a black bear. The bill would also give $95,000 of taxpayers’
money to the nation’s largest animal rights group, the Humane Society
of the United States (HSUS) to study ways to eliminate bear hunting. Take Action! New Jersey sportsmen, don’t let the anti’s ban bear hunting and leave New Jersey unable to control its growing black bear population. Contact your state representative and senator today and tell them you oppose AB 479 and S 1219. Let them know you want professionals in charge of managing wildlife in your state and you don’t want your tax dollars handed over to a group that is working to outlaw hunting. To learn your legislator’s name and for contact information, call (609) 292-4840 or visit the Legislative Action Center on the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance website. CopyrightÓ U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org
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