Wildlife politics – New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Division seeks to hunt bear…and cats.

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Can man and wildlife ever co-exist peacefully? The answer is yes. And it takes so little on the part of humans to make it possible.

The Black Bear population in New Jersey was all but decimated in the 1970’s, and just when the population seems to have recovered, the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Division is calling for a hunt in reaction to recent incidents involving bears. Ironically, the human population in areas where bear are most frequently seen does coexist peacefully with them and by and large oppose the hunt. They have known for years what an in-depth study by a professor at Rutgers concludes – that is, by the single, simple act of controlling bears’ access to human garbage, bear-human encounters can be minimized.

Removing populations of animals from areas by killing them has been proven ineffective time and time again – whether it’s the hunting of bear, the net and bolt killing of deer (If you don’t know what that is, I encourage you to research it – a good number of municipalities, townships and boros in New Jersey engage in this particularly cruel method to cull the deer population.) or the capturing and euthanization of feral cats.

Feral cats are also now in the cross hairs of the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Division who seeks to change their status so that they, too, can be hunted.

The Bear Education and Resource Group has been the major voice teaching NJ about Black Bears and how to live peacefully with them. You can learn more about bears and the bear hunt on their site, as well as at the Humane Society of the United States page about New Jersey Black Bears.

Please take only a moment to let the Governor know where you stand on the Bear Hunt. Write to Governor Chris Christie, PO Box 001, Trenton, NJ 08625 , or call (609) 292-6000 (Ask for Constituent Services, do not accept transfer of your call to the Division of Fish and Wildlife) or FAX: 609 292-3454.

Read about the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife’s attempt to reclassify feral cats and hunt them (and the strong opposition to it by The New Jersey Animal Welfare Task Force, Boonton’s Health Administrator, and the Sherriff’s Association of New Jersey, among countless rescue groups who work tirelessly to provide TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release)services in this Daily Record article.

The word “humanity” is defined as “having the quality of being humane”. The word “humane” is defined as being marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for human beings or animals. Compassion and sympathy, of course, cannot co-exist with cruelty and brutality, but take a moment of consideration – to study the facts, to make an educated decision, and to get involved, in any capacity. Or take the easy way out. The choice (and the future of humanity) is entirely up to you.