Crunch time for our bears & debt to our dogs

                                               

We’re in the midst of a killer pandemic, an economic crisis and a school crisis, while also at the start of the (“regular”) flu season.  Do we really need a bear hunt next month in New Jersey?  Sure, we never “need” a bear hunt here, but having one this year is even more misguided than any “usual” year for it. 

And yet, right now, the bowhunt portion of the 2020 bear slaughter is scheduled to begin October 12, about three weeks from now.   

What to do? 

The Bear Group, a program of the Animal Protection League of NJ (aplnj.org), offers a number of steps.  

First, By next Thursday, Sept. 24, phone 609-292-6000 and ask the governor to do two things: 

(1) issue an executive order to cancel the bear hunt immediately on all public and private lands in New Jersey;  

(2) cancel future hunts by granting the rule-making petition filed by APLNJ/Bear Group and a coalition of like-minded groups.  If granted by the governor, this petition would repeal DEP’s current rule (the Black Bear Management Policy), which makes it legal for bears to be hunted.

(If you can’t get through on the phone, please use this webform:  https://www.nj.gov/governor/contact/all/

Twitter: @GovMurphy #SaveNJBears  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/governorphilmurphy)

Second, sign and share Senator Ray Lesniak’s bear protection petition:

https://www.lesniakinstitute.org/bears/#section1

Third, to keep up with what’s happening, join Monday’s Bear Group Town Hall Zoom Webinar at 7 pm (EDT) Sept. 21.  Register in advance, after which you’ll receive a confirmation email with info about joining the webinar.

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bEn9R7HVSmyTdiSZGeNjbw

Time is quickly running out for our bears -- please take action now!

A sign of the times  (seen at an area veterinary hospital) 

Returning pet favors

“When we were lonely and afraid and didn’t know where else to turn, our dogs stepped up and gave us the emotional support we so badly needed.  So in our new normal, we must pay them back at least some of what they gave us.”

That couldn’t be better said, could it?  We may clutch our animals (cats included!) for comfort, but do we give thought to giving back to our pets once we feel better and they may need support? Those early pandemic “shelter at home” days have loosened, and some of us now venture out beyond the supermarket.  Or we’re deep in Zoom meetings at home or even back to work (at work!).

Sampa

But what about the animals who were there for us when we needed them?

Able to form strong emotional bonds across species, dogs give unconditional affection.  But “separation anxiety” could set in as the pandemic wanes and people get out more, sentencing their faithful dogs to solitary confinement: not at all a fair return on their love investment!

(You’ll enjoy the many dog-people photos with this story.)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/lifestyle/dogs-loneliness-coronavirus/?utm_campaign=wp_animalia&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_animalia

A dog to remember

Speaking of dogs – always easy to do – I came upon a wonderful tribute to a dog, Zuzu, who played a big part in her owner’s life and Washington Post illustrations.  “A wonderful ambassador for her breed,” Zuzu “so effortlessly filled my world and unleashed in me a bottomless supply of love,” Nick Galifianakis wrote.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/19/AR2010081906354.html?tid=lk_inline_manual_55

True flight of fancy

 When the trumpet vine covering our backyard arbor came to blooming life this summer, I learned its red-orange flowers are trumpet-shaped (silent) standouts that attract hummingbirds. In that case, I hope recent visitors to the flower bunches spread the word and come back next year. 

No wonder I could barely see these birds: they beat their wings up to 80 times per second, I’ve read – an exhausting lifestyle!  To insert their long thin bills into flowers to extract the nectar, hummers hover in midair.

They also enjoy bee balm, salvia, coral bells, columbine and hostas before flying south for the winter.  (And given our recent cold snap, I hope they’re already en route.)

And finally, lest we forget:

#

 To comment on this post, please go to 1moreonce.blogspot.com.