Sierra Club: Bear Hunt 'All About Sport'
Environmentalists call for education, management plans over lethal methods The following was written and released by the NJ Sierra Club.
The bear hunt may go beyond its limits with already 477 bears killed. It has been predicted that the hunters will be out in droves with tomorrow being the only weekend day of the hunt. The hunt may far exceed the goal of 700 bears and it could possibly reach up to 1000 bears. That would be more than a third of the black bear population in New Jersey. Now it is more of a recreational hunt than a management hunt.That is not sustainable especially with a possible hunt for next year and future years will mean the bear population will end up disappearing. The black bear is a symbol that New Jersey still has wild places and should be humanely regulated, not hunted for trophies.
The New Jersey Sierra Club believes that this hunt is unwarranted, unfounded and will not help to mange bears in the state of New Jersey. This is a recreational hunt that is leading to a large loss of the New Jersey black bear population but will not do anything to deal with nuisance bears. While the hunters are out there in the woods killing bears, the nuisance bears are hiding under decks or behind garages avoiding the hunters. Unless New Jersey deals with protection of habitats, garbage and educating people in bear country, the hunt is meaningless. It is a trophy hunt. This hunt has nothing to do with managing the bear population—it is all about sport.
The New Jersey Sierra Club supports an effective bear management plan that combines non-lethal methods of dealing with bears, public education and steps that properly handle garbage. The first step to implementing an effective bear management plan is education. More than half a million New Jersey residents live in bear country, but many do not have the expertise or experience to understand bears and avoid confrontations with them. At the most basic level, people need to be taught that bears are wild animals and should be treated with respect and from a distance. People must be educated that feeding bears as they would pets is dangerous and will lead to aggressive behavior in the future.
We must utilize non-lethal methods of dealing with conflicts between bears and humans. Bear aversion therapy, which trains bears to be afraid of humans and to avoid them, is an important program that helps to address the issue of bear and human conflicts. Unfortunately, the state has cut funding for bear aversion therapy. The state should have conservation officers and bear wardens to address bear complaints and educate the public about bears, but funding for that important program has also been cut.
New Jersey must deal with garbage or we'll continue to create nuisance bears. Without a concerted effort to codify and enforce requirements on garbage, other bear policies will fail. The state needs to mandate bear-proof containers and locking dumpsters in bear country and ban the practice of leaving garbage out overnight. Bears like garbage and consider it a source of food. If an abundant supply of trash is readily available, the bear population will increase and bears will become more aggressive as they learn that houses are good places to find food.
We also must bear-proof public areas. The state should work with towns and municipalities to put up fencing and take other steps to keep bears out of key areas, such as playgrounds. Bear-proofing farms is essential, too. The state must cooperate with the agricultural sector to provide small grants to farmers that allow them to bear-proof their properties and protect them from potential damage.
Protecting our habitat is another important step towards managing our bear population. Each year, New Jersey loses 8,000 to 10,000 acres of land in bear country. The more we build houses in the middle of the woods where bears live, the more conflict we will see between bears and humans. Killing bears that live in our cherished woods and wild places is not the answer to addressing the problem of nuisance bear in our neighborhoods.
The New Jersey Sierra Club believes that this hunt is unwarranted, unfounded and will not help to mange bears in the state of New Jersey. This is a recreational hunt that is leading to a large loss of the New Jersey black bear population but will not do anything to deal with nuisance bears. While the hunters are out there in the woods killing bears, the nuisance bears are hiding under decks or behind garages avoiding the hunters. Unless New Jersey deals with protection of habitats, garbage and educating people in bear country, the hunt is meaningless. It is a trophy hunt. This hunt has nothing to do with managing the bear population—it is all about sport.
The New Jersey Sierra Club supports an effective bear management plan that combines non-lethal methods of dealing with bears, public education and steps that properly handle garbage. The first step to implementing an effective bear management plan is education. More than half a million New Jersey residents live in bear country, but many do not have the expertise or experience to understand bears and avoid confrontations with them. At the most basic level, people need to be taught that bears are wild animals and should be treated with respect and from a distance. People must be educated that feeding bears as they would pets is dangerous and will lead to aggressive behavior in the future.
We must utilize non-lethal methods of dealing with conflicts between bears and humans. Bear aversion therapy, which trains bears to be afraid of humans and to avoid them, is an important program that helps to address the issue of bear and human conflicts. Unfortunately, the state has cut funding for bear aversion therapy. The state should have conservation officers and bear wardens to address bear complaints and educate the public about bears, but funding for that important program has also been cut.
New Jersey must deal with garbage or we'll continue to create nuisance bears. Without a concerted effort to codify and enforce requirements on garbage, other bear policies will fail. The state needs to mandate bear-proof containers and locking dumpsters in bear country and ban the practice of leaving garbage out overnight. Bears like garbage and consider it a source of food. If an abundant supply of trash is readily available, the bear population will increase and bears will become more aggressive as they learn that houses are good places to find food.
We also must bear-proof public areas. The state should work with towns and municipalities to put up fencing and take other steps to keep bears out of key areas, such as playgrounds. Bear-proofing farms is essential, too. The state must cooperate with the agricultural sector to provide small grants to farmers that allow them to bear-proof their properties and protect them from potential damage.
Protecting our habitat is another important step towards managing our bear population. Each year, New Jersey loses 8,000 to 10,000 acres of land in bear country. The more we build houses in the middle of the woods where bears live, the more conflict we will see between bears and humans. Killing bears that live in our cherished woods and wild places is not the answer to addressing the problem of nuisance bear in our neighborhoods.
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