The hunt is on. The NJ black
bear hunt that Gov. Phil Murphy as a candidate vowed to end is on. It’s on despite Murphy’s promise to
end what former Gov. Christie backed for two terms, and despite credible
arguments against the need for such a hunt.
The hunt is on because sportsmen’s lobbies -- including the DEP’s Division
of Fish and Wildlife -- won out over Murphy’s better angels. Last year, trying to please animal advocates
and hunters alike (an impossible, unprincipled goal), Murphy barred the hunt
from state lands . . . while bear slaughter continued everywhere else.
Is that weasely act considered “compromise” if it still means needlessly
killing our bears, who are guilty of nothing but falling prey to unsecured garbage and the
unconscionable hunter practice of “baiting”? That's “bear management”?!
For six days this week and another six days starting Dec. 9, NJ’s black
bears will be mercilessly pursued and killed for no other real reason than trophies.
Yes, this is a
trophy hunt; nothing more. And that fact
was proven once again during last month’s meeting of three Animal Protection
League of NJ (APLNJ) reps with DEP’s assistant
commissioner to discuss unsecured garbage in bear country.
Because nuisance complaints (like
bears going after garbage) are often used to justify bear hunts, APLNJ asked Ray
Bukowski if the hunt would be canceled if there were zero complaints. He and an attorney from the state Attorney
General's office stated in unison and without hesitation, "No."
What more do you
need to know? As one meeting participant
summed it up: “The New Jersey bear hunt is not about nuisance complaints. It's a recreational trophy hunt. The . . . complaints are used to justify the
hunt to the public."
If only our black bears had lawyers! Since bear hunt motivation often hinges on
untrue oral and printed statements (slander and libel) about bear behavior,
they could sue the DFW for defamation of character.
Simple enforcement of regulations for garbage disposal and practice of
common-sense precautions would keep bears from roaming around or breaking into
unsecured trash cans. Oh, but then the “justification” for a bear hunt would disappear
and hunters would be disappointed.
Kill bill (A3242)!
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| APLNJ pic |
If not our bears, it’s our deer that hunters set their ever-widening sights
on. Now, a piece of legislation that’s particularly
horrible for NJ wildlife is moving toward becoming law -- unless state
residents convince Gov. Murphy to veto it.
A3242 would vastly expand unethical methods of killing animals to
thousands of acres of wooded land, thereby normalizing inhumane practices
throughout much of our state. It would
legalize deer-hunting methods usually associated with animal poachers, including
“baiting,” or attracting animals with food, then killing them as they “take the
bait”; stunning animals with bright lights, or “jacklighting” --then killing
them; and shooting animals from moving vehicles.
Ostensibly to
stop crop damage blamed on them, animals could be killed on specified lands --
without proof of animal “depredation” or mention of any other known causes of
crop damage. Most important,
A3242 offers no humane, nonlethal means of dealing with animals believed to be
damaging crops.
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| APLNJ pic |
In short, this
bill appears to be little more than a
license to kill wildlife in reprehensible ways over expanded areas of New
Jersey. Those who agree should move
quickly to tell their state assembly members to veto A3242 and urge the governor
(phone 609-292-6000) if it reaches his desk to veto it.
New Jersey’s wildlife
needs our help!
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