December 3, 2004
THE PEOPLE ARE THE ONLY LOSERS:
N.J. Supreme Court Calls Off Bear Hunt (JEFF LINKOUS, 12/02/04, Associated Press)
The state's highest court called off New Jersey's bear hunt Thursday, four days before the season is scheduled to start.The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the state needs to establish a proper management program for bears before it can allow them to be hunted.
More than 300 black bears were killed in last year's hunt - the first bear season in 33 years in New Jersey. Proponents maintain another season is needed because of increasing contact between the animals and humans in the northern, rural parts of of the state.
But state environmental chief Bradley Campbell has opposed the 2004 bear season, saying the state should be allowed to manage the bear population with a contraception program and public awareness campaigns for residents who live near heavy bear populations.
"What they said was right on target," said Jeff Tittel, head of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club. "This is a victory for good government but it's also a victory for the bears. It's the best Christmas gift they could have this year."
As a victim of 13 years in NJ public schools I swear that there was nmo civics lesson where we were taught that the end of government is to protect animals from the citizenry. Posted by Orrin Judd at December 3, 2004 12:33 PM
New Jersey gave the bears a Christmas present? I demand that the ACLU stop this unconstitutional establishment, now!
Posted by: David Cohen at December 3, 2004 12:45 PM"manage the bear problem with a contraception program" look on the bright side here. The bears now will be less susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases.
Posted by: AllenS at December 3, 2004 1:24 PMBradley is absolutely correct about that contraception program!
I understand his staff will fit each female bear with a diaphragm. Bradley does say that he needs a whole lot more environmental dept staff members to get that job done.
Posted by: John J. Coupal at December 3, 2004 2:36 PMYou know, the real funny thing is that even if you indulged a serious analysis of the pros and cons of hunting vs contraception, putting the hunt on hold makes no sense because they are not contemporanously equivalent solutions. If you are being overrun by bears today, simply curtailing their future reproduction would not solve today's problem.
Posted by: Moe from NC at December 3, 2004 3:11 PMIf NJ were overrun by bears, it would be a distinct improvement over the current population, especially concerning manners and body odor. That being said, it is clearly a governmental prerogative to decide whether the hunt should go forward. If the government says no, then it's no. If you don't like it, change the government.
I guess they're going to contraception because telling Yogi and Boo Boo to 'Just Say No' didn't work so good.
Posted by: Bart at December 3, 2004 3:33 PMhow the heck do dey s'pose dey gonna git dem bears to ware condims.
dey can't even get da 15 yr olds to do
Posted by: huh, what? at December 3, 2004 8:20 PMHasn't Frank Lautenberg been looking a bit ursine lately?
Posted by: jim hamlen at December 4, 2004 4:19 AMOn our way home from dinner tonight we came across a bear in the road. A very big bear.
Posted by: David Cohen at December 4, 2004 11:05 PM