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New Jersey Officials Kill Huge Problem Bear
Yesterday, we linked some of the so-called educational material disseminated by New Jersey state officials in support their push to explore non-lethal methods of bear control. Today, we have a very timely story from The New Jersey Herald that may shed some light on how that new strategy is working so far:
A large black bear which tried to break into a home several times looking for food was shot and killed by a wildlife control officer over the weekend.
The shooting came after officers tried for more than a week to capture the bruin in live traps. "The bear eluded the traps and eluded capture,'' said Darlene Yuhas, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection. When the efforts at a live capture were unsuccessful, officers set up along a route the bear was believed to take as he searched for food.
The bruin weighed a hefty 532 pounds.
WHAT A WASTE! First, this bear (and all the others they wind up "controlling" with a bullet) would have made a fine trophy and great eating for a hunter. Instead it's going to rot in a dump. That is an irresponsible use of a valuable resource.
Second, NJ is using salaried govt. workers to control bears, when instead they could get hunters who would PAY for the privilege of hunting them. Outrageous fiscal irresponsibility of NJ govt. Can you imagine running a business this way?
Posted by: | March 28, 2007 at 01:47 PM
It does seem pretty stupid. The bears are most likely going to end up being killed anyway. Why not at least have some purpose in that by having them taken by people who can use the meat and a bearskin rug.
I totally agree about that.
Posted by: Kristine Shreve | March 28, 2007 at 01:51 PM
That's pretty big for a black bear.
Posted by: Mike Diehl | March 28, 2007 at 03:30 PM
welcome to the stupid state of new jersey!if something can be screwed up,this state will find a way to do it.this cant be made up.
Posted by: howard carmen | March 29, 2007 at 06:36 AM
This is hipocracy at it's finest.
Posted by: Blue Ox | March 29, 2007 at 09:32 AM
Can you say tranquilizer and relocation? We continue to invade their foraging grounds, yet we do not try to make amends by means of relocation. No.What do we do, kill them. We justify this by saying this is our land. Well, I think the bears have inhabited this land far longer than any of us.This is the same mind set that the first settles of this country demintrated against the indians. It sickens me to think we have learned nothing and can not convert what we have done to each other to what we are doing to the wild animals. Wake up!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: ED | March 29, 2007 at 11:30 AM
High comedy from ED or else we have a PETA lurker. Funny how the "animals are people too" crowd have forgotten that people are animals too.
I love animals. Every time I so much as look at a horse I think "Hmmm. I wonder what *that* taste's like?"
Posted by: Mike Diehl | March 29, 2007 at 12:49 PM
PETA isn't that a sandwich? Possibly Tuna!
Posted by: ED | March 29, 2007 at 02:37 PM
Relocation? To where? Are you from New Jersey, or have you ever looked at a map? the range a grown male can have is quite large, and with this one's fondness to entering homes I don't want that bruin in my backyard! do you? You can not "bear proof" a house if an animal that large wants in.
Posted by: RJ Arena | March 29, 2007 at 11:42 PM
Nice, Did I say New Jersey? The bear could have been relocated anywhere, not just in New Jersey..... People relocate everyday for survival. Even if they grew up in New Jersey
Posted by: ED | March 30, 2007 at 07:11 PM
If New Jersey had allowed the hunt they were supposed to have last year,maybe this bear would have been relocated-to someones freezer!PETA-People Eating Tasty Animals.
Posted by: JPK | March 30, 2007 at 10:41 PM
YEP!!!
Posted by: ED | March 31, 2007 at 08:30 PM
Yea,
Lets relocate a bear with a history of entering homes to where? If you don't want to relocate him somewhere in N.J., I'm sure you will get lots of local support from other states, every politician will want to bring a bear with a breaking and entering rap sheet into his /her district. Then since you are so anti hunting, it would have to be a state that does not allow bear hunting, or this bruin would become a quick trophy. So again, where is the magical location to move animals that have determined that some ones home is their new food source? The problem really is that you anti-hunters have removed yourself so far away from hunting that you do not see the world as it is, animals die so we can live. Even non-meat eaters( I can't say the "n" word) cause animals to die so they can have the crop land available to their food. Pest control conventional or organic Kill. crops displace(kill) animals. this is reality. Across the river from New Jersey in Pa they have just as many bears, but because they have a hunting season, the population is controlled and the bears learn to stay away from homes.
Posted by: RJ Arena | April 01, 2007 at 11:16 AM
You anti-hunter ought to wake up,would you want to have that 500+ bear break in to your house, no I don't imagine you would, but you would want to relocate it so it could possibly break into someone elses home, but once a bear starts breaking into home they don't stop so it had to be put down. It is the same with mountain lion, you believe they should be left along, but if you were out walking in the wood, and had one jump on your back you'd be quick to change you mind, wake up people.
Posted by: sbomyea | April 02, 2007 at 02:55 PM
Did any of you read the article? It says that Wildlife officers were attempting to trap the animal for several weeks. Soooo... what do you think they were going to do with it??? Most likely relocate the animal so it does not invade other home. A good guess would be to a Zoo..
Posted by: Drew | April 03, 2007 at 08:39 AM
Knowing N.J., they would most likely spend big bucks doing nothing, then try to figure out how to do the "bear birth control" the anti's have been talking about. The bear would then die of old age before anything was done, except the paying off of the political cronnies.
Posted by: RJ Arena | April 03, 2007 at 09:56 AM
Heck no- trap/tranquilize it, then "Neuter it"(most likely a boar if it was that big and send it to the wildest part of the state or if another state would like it. The People Who Eat Tasty Animals would gladly pay for it. We know they have donated millions of dollars to help the come- back of deer, turkey's, and all things wild! Ha they are nuts, but have none.
Posted by: Mack | April 03, 2007 at 12:56 PM