Bad News, Bears

Studies estimate that parts of the state have up to 3,500 black bears, the largest concentration in the country. But is a bear hunt a necessity for maintaining public safety?

Posted November 15, 2010 by Ashley J. Cerasaro

Photo by Robert Yaskovic/ANJ.

The state’s first bear hunt in five years is scheduled for December 6 through 11—but the debate about whether it is warranted may never end. Proponents, including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, cite studies claiming parts of the state have as many as 3,500 black bears, perhaps the largest concentration in the country. “We’re seeing black bears in places in New Jersey where we’ve never seen them,” says DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese. “In urban areas, towns near the George Washington Bridge, golf courses in developed areas of Bergen County.” But opponents like Megan Sewell of the Humane Society favor an exclusively non-lethal program to reduce bear encounters. She cites a Rutgers study indicating bear complaints are actually waning. That won’t stop the hunters, who will need a permit to bag the bruins in designated areas of Sussex, Warren, Passaic, Morris, Bergen, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties.

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