EMERGENCY ACTION NEEDED FOR NJ BEARS ‼️
Calls to action are listed below ⬇️
Appeals court rules NJ bear hunt to start effective immediately.
Governor Murphy cited a dramatic increase in bear-human conflicts in a wider area of the state as why he reinstated the hunt. We are appalled by this decision, especially since HUNTING DOES NOT REDUCE BEAR-HUMAN CONFLICTS. Securing trash and removing bear attractants greatly reduces and/or eliminates bear-human conflicts. The bears killed during the hunt are not the same bears frequenting neighborhoods. Unsecured trash and bear attractants cause these conflicts, and subsequent bear-human conflicts will continue until the real problem is addressed. Non-lethal solutions are available for little or no cost, and residents can make their trashcans bear-resistant (see the video linked below).
Talking Points
*No scientific data supports the claim that hunting reduces bear-human encounters or conflicts.
*Deforestation is responsible for the loss of critical bear habitat. Land development and bear attractants such as unsecured trash and bird feeders are most likely the cause of increased bear-human conflicts, not overpopulation.
*Research shows that eliminating bear attractants and securing trash in bear-resistant trash cans can reduce or eliminate conflicts by over 90%.
*Black bears are predominantly vegetarian (90%), with only 5% of their diet consisting of meat, usually carrion. They are NOT the vicious man-eaters that bear trophy hunters and corrupt politicians would like you to believe.
*Unprovoked bear attacks are rare. According to bear expert Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. of the North American Bear Center says, you are 45 times more likely to be killed by a dog, 120 times more likely to be killed by bees, and 60,000 times more likely to be murdered by another human being than to be killed by a black bear.
*Bears regulate their own populations through a biological process known as delayed implantation. Delayed implantation allows bears to control their populations. When food is abundant, more bears will be born. When there is a lack of abundant food sources, female bears will not reproduce every two years but, alternatively, every three to four years.
*Wildlife is a public trust - and we, the people, have a right to defend animals for the benefit of those living today and those yet to come. It's time for wildlife agencies to rely on science and ethics, not profits and politics. Wildlife does not belong to the hunters or wildlife agencies. We ALL have a say and what happens to the bears.
PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CALLS TO ACTION.
Contact Governor Murphy and tell him to cancel the bear hunt.
Call: 609-292-6000.
Email: Constituent.relations@nj.gov
Email the NJ Fish and Wildlife Councils/Committees
njfishandwildlife@dep.nj.gov
Please sign & share our petition.
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-new-jersey-bear-hunt-4f4a4bfc-cb1b-468e-b6bd-5f254e17fb71
How to make your trashcan bear-resistant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7aneHEEr6A
If you are an NJ resident, please work with your community and educate them on how to coexist peacefully with bears.
#BearDefenders
BEARDEFENDERS.ORG