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Can't 'Bear' to Have Them Around

© Murdo Morrison

Our backyards were once some other animal's habitat. Unfortunately, when the pressure of new development expands into that habitat, the people who arrive often have little sympathy for the former inhabitants. Recent developments in New Jersey are a prime example.

Recently, about 100 protesters showed up on the steps of the State House in Trenton to protest a proposal to recommence bear hunting in the state. No one has hunted bears in New Jersey since 1971 when it was estimated that less than 100 bears were still to be found. The bear in question is the black bear which is found mainly in the northwestern portion of the state. Current estimates set the population at approximately 1,000.

What prompted the protest was a proposal by the Fish and Game Council to reduce that number by 350 bears over the next few years. An article (Protesters Rip Bear-Hunt Plan, Tracey L. Regan, 5/23/00) in the Star Ledger, reports that state wildlife officials would like to keep the total bear population within the range of 250 to 330 bears.

The real issue appears to be urban sprawl (see my previous article, Urban Sprawl, 1/1/00) which has brought humans and bears into increasing contact.

The Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife reported (see Black Bear Problems Increase in New Jersey) that, in the first nine months of 1999, the number of black bear complaint calls received more than doubled from the number received during the same period in 1998. Up to September of 1999, 1,607 bear-related damage complaint calls were logged. The Department reported similar increases over the previous three years. The complaints included damage to trash containers, home entries and pet and livestock kills.

The Department estimates that at least 700,000 people live in the parts of the state where black bears are found. It is clear that increasing development will bring about more confrontations. Currently, state officials use methods such as 'negative conditioning', bear relocation and pepper spray to discourage the bears. In extreme cases the bears may be euthanized.

It seems to me unfortunate that, when humans encroach into animal habitats, the common answer is to either dislocate those animals, remove them, or in some cases kill them. Control of urban sprawl, public education program combined with the non-lethal methods already employed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife would seem to be a better answer than resuming the hunt. Ultimately, urban sprawl will lower the quality of life for everyone, humans and other animals alike. The issue is unresolved. Currently there are bills banning the hunt pending in both the Assembly and the Senate. If they are unsuccessful, bear hunting is scheduled to begin in the fall of this year.