The HSUS Praises New Jersey DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson for her Commitment to Humane Bear Management

August 16, 2007

Group submits comments on draft Bear Management Policy

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa Jackson renewed her commitment to non-lethal bear management in her recommendations submitted to the Council on June 16. The recommendations include ongoing non-lethal black bear management and public education. The Council added recommendations that include arbitrary requirements that could result in an unfounded mandate of a future bear hunt

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) praises the DEP for cancelling the 2006 bear hunt and recommending a non-lethal approach to bear management this year and encourages the DEP to remain steadfast in its commitment to non-lethal bear management for the future.

 "The DEP should be acknowledged for its progressive policy of opting for a non-lethal, humane approach to managing bears and dealing with bear-human conflicts," said Nina Austenberg, Mid- Atlantic regional director of The HSUS. "The HSUS supports a humane, science-based approach to bear-human conflicts instead of another trophy hunt for heads and hides."

The HSUS submitted comments (http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/hunting/microsoft-word-hsus-black-bear-plan-comments-08-15-2007.pdf) on the draft black bear management policy supporting the continued non-lethal approaches to bear-human conflicts.

Facts

• Commissioner Lisa Jackson announced in November 2006 that the New Jersey black bear hunt was officially cancelled due to the state bear management policy's insufficient focus on non-lethal methods. Jackson withdrew her approval of the policy and committed to funding and implementing non-lethal techniques to address black bear conflicts.
• Additional and independent bear studies are essential to enhancing the state's understanding of natural patterns of population fluctuation and density.
• Bear hunting proponents argue that a trophy hunt is needed to reduce human-bear conflicts; however, data suggests that hunting actually increases the number of bear-human conflicts.
• Human population growth and media attention have created greater influx of wildlife complaints and perceived conflicts.
• Bear attacks are very rare. No person has been killed by a bear in the state in over 150 years.
• The only methods shown to alleviate human-bear conflicts are non-lethal techniques that condition bears to avoid humans, such as systematic use of pyrotechnics, rubber bullets, trained dogs to frighten bears from human-inhabited areas, and control of garbage in bear inhabited areas.

Timeline

• 2007 – New Jersey Legislature passed FY 2008 state budget that includes $850,000 in funding to implement a non-lethal black bear management program.
• 2006 – Governor Jon Corzine and DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson declare that they could not sanction a black bear hunt because non-lethal alternatives had not been adequately implemented.
• 2005 – Amidst public outrage, another 298 bears were killed during a trophy hunt.
• 2004 - After finding that the black bear population was grossly overestimated, the state canceled the bear hunt.
• 2003 – The state opens trophy hunting once again, which resulted in the killing of 323 animals, including a cub who was shot by a hunter and stumbled onto a busy road during the morning commute.
• 1970s – Due to habitat loss and over-hunting, New Jersey's black bear population plummets to a mere 100 animals. Black bear hunting is halted in New Jersey

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization – backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty.  On the web at .humanesociety.org.