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Governor may cut six-day bear hunt short in NJ
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NJ hunt to proceed
Well, it’s not clear yet whether there will be a bear hunt in New Jersey.
Two anti-hunting groups have filed lawsuits against the hunt, and a court is expected to rule on the case soon. Here’s a story explaining the situation:
Court may decide Friday whether N.J. bear hunt can proceed
Once again, there will be a bear hunt in New Jersey, with some of the details covered in this AP report. The state DEP rejected a request to postpone the bear hunt, as outlined in this document. Here’s an excerpt:
The Commissioner, responding to a Nov. 17 written request by the Animal Protection League of New Jersey and the Bear Education and Resource Group, declined to postpone an upcoming six-day hunt scheduled for a seven-county region, including parts of Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Passaic, Morris, Somerset and Bergen counties, that is scheduled to start Dec 6.
“The facts are clear, we have an overpopulation of black bears in New Jersey, and we must address that issue,” said Commissioner Martin. “A regulated black bear hunt is one important and necessary tool to deal with the growing number of bears, as part of the State’s overall, comprehensive approach to managing its black bear population.”
The most recent black bear population estimate for the portion of New Jersey north of Interstate 80 is approximately 3,400 animals, which is a marked rise from less than 500 in the mid-1990s. Bears also have been reported in all 21 counties, with a corresponding rise in bear complaints.
The Inquirer has a detailed story about the huge bear killed as part of the hunt in Pike County. The bear was apparently fed by a resort employee and almost treated like a pet. Of course, it’s illegal to feed bears, and it’s unclear why the feeding was allowed to continue for so long.
875-pound bear killed in Pennsylvania hunt -
There’s some controversy about the bear, as some described it as a “homebody” that was being fed by locals.
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Bears in Florida?
Yes, they exist, but the bear population is endangered.
Here’s a story about wildlife technicians working with bears in Florida.