New Jersey. Bear Hunt. 2010. Public Hearing. Stop the Trophy Hunt.

I am cross posting an alert from the group, Protect New Jersey Bears, regarding the proposed bear hunt at the end of this year. As usual, if it is not kill the deer, it's kill the bears. Further, in Passaic County, Mayor Pat Lapore and the Board of Freeholders are getting ready to do a geese kill plus their eggs. This is the same gang that ordered the deer hunt at Garrett Mountain in February that was ultimately stopped due to irregularities in the tagging of the dead deer. And that hunt was stopped not because Pat Lapore and his cohorts realized it was wrong. The real reason was that the state Division of Fish and Wildlife had begun an investigation into the hunt. New Jersey has a serious empathy deficit when it comes to wild animals, treating them like a nuisance rather than our natural treasures. Now, the bears are in the crosshairs, again.

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Please Attend the Public Hearing and Oppose a 2010 Bear Hunt in New Jersey

Please RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112351662121242

Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: New Jersey State Museum
Street: 205 West State St.
City/Town: Trenton, NJ
View Map

Description .The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has approved plans for a black bear trophy hunt this December, following a 60-day public comment period.

This is your last chance to oppose the initiation of the first bear hunt in the state since 2005, and only the third bear hunt in the state since 1970.

Please join us in Trenton to voice your opposition to the trophy hunting of bears. You will be given an opportunity to speak at the hearing. We need as many people to show up as possible to demonstrate that the majority of residents oppose the hunt.

Did you know that in New Jersey's previous hunts, trophy hunters were permitted to shoot cubs less than a year of age, as well as mothers with cubs? Cubs would remain with their mothers and often continue to nurse for six months after the proposed hunting season would end.

In the 2003 bear hunt, about one in six bears killed was a cub. In 2005, about one in eight bears killed was a cub.

Did you know that in New Jersey's previous hunts, trophy hunters were permitted to bait bears to their tree stands with piles of food, and shoot them in the back while they were feeding? The US Forest Service, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management all warn against the feeding of bears because it can result in conflicts with the animals.

Did you know that most conflicts with bears in New Jersey are related to garbage, and that by simply making garbage and other human food sources inaccessuble to bears, most conflicts would be averted? Proper garbage management, enforcement of no-feeding regulations and use of aversive conditioning are the most effective means of reducing problems with bears. Shooting bears at random will not reduce conflicts.

Did you know that hunting will not reduce conflicts with bears? Hunting only provides a temporary population reduction, followed by a population increase. Further, no one has claimed that bears have exceeded their biological carrying capacity in New Jersey.

In 2003, 328 bears were killed by hunters. In 2005, 298 bears were killed. Authorities estimate that more than 400 bears could be killed in 2010.

For more information on the history of New Jersey's bears, please visit our website here: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/bear_hunting/timelines/new_jerseys_bears_timeline.html.

For more information about why hunting doesn't reduce conflicts with bears, please visit: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/bear_hunting/facts/bear_hunts_no_solution.html.

For more information about how to reduce conflicts with bears, please visit: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/bear_hunting/tips/bear_conflict_resolution.html.