Black Bear sightings continue to rise in N.J. and with it the danger to humans we still have politicians being influenced by animal-right and anti-hunting groups.

To make matters worst some newspapers are printing this misleading information. For example; June 24, 2009 a N.J. newspaper printed an editorial:

Public showing signs of being able to live with bears.

The bogus reason; something is different, only (6) bears have been euthanized this year. This compares too nearly 30 put down in 2008 and 18 in 2007. What, what the heck?

Surprise, the year is not over and in addition, there have been an increased number of bears hit by cars and killed instantly or died somewhere in the woods.

Of course, they do not comment on the increase of Category (1) bears incidents, the most dangerous, were up 2009 over the same time period for 2008 from 33 (2008) to 42 (2009).

Overall bear incidents to-date, grew from 307 (2008) to 396 (2009) 

Ironically, on Friday, June 26, 2009 a man form Northern, N.J. the town of Vernon reported that he was attacked by a BLACK BEAR while packing his car for a business trip. He alleges that he had placed a sandwich in his trunk while loading other items and the bear suddenly appeared, knocking him to the ground and taking the sandwich. The man kicked at the bear that ran off to the side of his house. Unable to move for some time the man finally made it into the house. The police found the sandwich wrapper on the side of the house and pictures on the internet show severe facial abrasions and, knee, elbow and buttocks bruises.  

Now the anti’s are questioning his story, including one former, relocated member of the North Jersey Bear Group who puts the anti-hunting spin on the story by stating “this story proves again that black bears are not dangerous to humans; because it didn’t kill the man and it is not a story about a bear attacking a man but attacking a sandwich.” (How many once-agains does it take to make a real?)

It would have been more appropriate to find out if the story were true before making such ludicrous comments.  

If the story is true then it was a dangerous, Category 1 attack on a human and should concern the Governor and DEP. The newspapers then should be reporting this as a serious warning to others

Well, let’s assume for now that the story is true. For starters if a (300 lb +) black bear were to swipe a human the immense power of that blow would result in easily knocking down a human and causing the injuries as reported and shown in pictures.

If the story is true then this man did exactly what the animal-right and anti-hunting groups and “real-bear experts” suggest, fight him off.  

The story was reported in a Middletown, New York newspaper one week before it was reported in New Jersey newspapers and the DEP is not yet considering this a Category 1 attack (which is defined as the most serious bear-human interactions and includes livestock kills, pet kills, vehicle entries, home entries, attacks on humans, unprovoked dog attacks and similar events.) 

Now we have Lawrence Herrighty, Assistant Director of the F&W division stating that this is not “yet” being treated as a Category (1) attack on a human because he had no bruises, claw marks or scratches, or even a ripped shirt that indicates a purposeful attack by a bear.

Welcome to the political “dark-side” a new member? New rules; a black bear can push and shove cause physical damage to a human (just locate the photo’s on the internet, they are serious) and somehow this is not an attack because the bear just wanted to get at the sandwich?

Hopefully, the division is exercising a little caution by gathering all facts in order to “clearly” classify this as a Category (1) attack. 

One can certainly understand an investigation to be sure this was a black bear attack and not a trip over a shoelace. However, it shouldn’t take too long to determine if the story is valid. It shouldn’t have taken a week for this story to even be acknowledged in a N.J. newspaper. Citizens depend on the news to make them aware of potential dangerous circumstances, it gives a chance to be more alert and avoid danger. 

If it is true then this just adds to the recent, dangerous black bear activity reported so far in 2009. If it is false that still doesn’t reduce neither the danger nor the validity of already proven, increased black bear to human negative interactions. 

So why does this continue? Because; there is still to much political interference with wildlife management, too much politicking within an area that requires professional Fish & Game biologists to determine the course of action to be taken.

Black bears; the states’ carrying capacity has been met, black bears cannot be allowed to multiply beyond this point, sightings are up, category (1) the most dangerous level is up, people are complaining all over the state as the black bears extend there roaming grounds. 

The Governor is struggling to keep people working, keeping their homes and putting food on the table. I doubt if he sits down at the end of each day and thinks about putting up a tent in Sussex or staying over in a Vernon home to find out if the black bear is a problem.

The Governor certainly doesn’t have black bears near his home. No, he relies on his staff and the DEP and he doesn’t need a group of “yes” men afraid to ‘tell-it-like-it-is”; they are not doing their jobs. 

New Jersey DEP and Governors office are allowing animal-right and anti-hunting groups to inundate them with false and misleading information under the pressure of political demise should they allow a black bear hunt.

Listen and read carefully; (27) other states with large black bear populations, many with a lot less black bears than N.J., use hunting as the most effective, proven method of black bear population control. There is no way that (27) states with successful track records are wrong and N.J. is right. 

Each day, each month, each year this black bear population is allowed to grow the danger increases why? Just how does anyone with a brain and a little common-sense, really expect New Jersey to allow the black bear population to grow to whatever number? It cannot, they must be reduced and maintained at a safe level and hunting is the only proven method.

Here comes the redundancy: Twenty-seven other states have successfully accomplished this through hunting and they still maintain a substantial black bear population that can thrive in their own environment. 

The Retired, Black Bear Groupie stated, “With everything going on in the world today, black bears are certainly the least of our problems”; REALLY?, I see them as an unnecessary addition to our problems and unlike the economy or war, a problem easily solved with a quick and proven remedy.

Mike D. 

 

 

"Sammy"

Don’t know why I am writing this guess I can figure out a way to work it into my Bear Blog so if you will indulge me for a spell you might just find some good here. Sammy was our American Bulldog, a stout 65 pound female brindle color. We bought her almost eight years ago when she was (8) weeks old. Although she appeared to be real healthy we found out sometime later that she had a half paralyzed tongue. Now what this means is that she could not fully lick her chops after eating or drinking and actually she had to eat and drink from one side of her mouth. Didn’t affect her much but made quite a mess of the floor after each meal and trip to the water dish. We kept these dishes in an elevated dog dish holder so it was easier for her. My wife purchased a Hoover Floor Mate and with its water cleaning system she just followed Sammy’s drool trail around the house. Loving Sammy as much as we did it was never a problem and we got to joke about it, we called her Sammy the Drool and that was that.

Sammy was never full of real energy oh, she would hop around when we came home from work or got up in the morning. When we played with her in the yard or house she would just hop off the ground with her front paws, first one then the other like a little dance, so another nick name’ Hoppy or Hopity Hop. She was as strong as an OX though, as her family members included some championship pulling American Bulls.

She once tangled with a ground hog didn’t want to kill it, we don’t think, well she didn’t but the ground hog managed to bite her lip and then came another nickname, Scarface. The ground hog lived under a shed in our backyard, Sammy never forgot that shed and each time she went into the yard she would run to that hole and peer in, the ground hog wanted no part of her so it kept out of sight.

Sammy played a game of “team-penning” with the backyard rabbits, she was never fast enough to catch them but she would go out on the deck, stare them down, then make her hop, skip and jump run at them weaving from side to side cutting them off at each turn, but never getting closer than 10 feet from them, the rabbits liked the game.

Sammy was the ultimate watch dog and intimidator, anyone coming near the house was quickly detected she would start out with a huffing sound then escalate into a bark. Someone said she looked like a “junkyard” dog, so then came another handle, nickname; JYD.

 

When we moved to Vernon on a cul-de-sac backing up to acres of land we knew this was bear country. Sammy knew too as whenever we were in the yard, Sammy was by the windows. One day while my wife was gardening she heard Sammy letting out that warning huff, she looked around and sure enough just across the street a black bear was entering a small pond about (25 yards) away. My wife had enough time to reach the house as the bear came out of the pond and destroyed two trees in our yard.

 

One day after eating Sammy was standing there with large food drools coming out of each side of her mouth, my wife snapped a picture and it looked really scary. Her son was in Iraq at the time, part of the Air Force EOD, a bomb squad that was responsible for locating and destroying IED’S, roadside bombs. So she blew up the photo of Sammy, framed it with a caption” I Eat Those That Plant IED’S. Her Son hung it in their desert barracks and all the members asked; does your mother really own that dog?

He left the photo there for the others that were assigned to that outpost. So Sammy is a kind of Mascot for our Air force troops in Iraq.  

 

We looked forward to coming home each night as Sammy would always be there to greet us, she would lean to the left or right from a laying down position then ever so slowly raise a paw, like a high-five, until we grabbed it and held it.

 

Last night Sammy left us. After a perfect physical 3 weeks ago, an undiscovered heart tumor, not the Vet’s fault, took her. Thankfully, she did not suffer. As we stood next to her, in tears she looked up and somehow she tried to comfort us, to show us she was going to be OK, and in the end as in the beginning she came through as the loyal wonderful companion she was.

 

As my wife and I drove home from the emergency hospital, we dreaded going home to that empty house. Oh God, how these animals become such a part of our lives.

 

I was once told by a very well known dog trainer; A dog is like no other pet, when you come home they are there to greet you, happy to see you, when you are tired they lay by you, when you are sick they stay by your side, when you want to play they play, when you sleep they sleep and when you need warning of danger and protection they step up to the plate.

 

There are stories abound about brave dogs, in California a few weeks ago two brave dogs jumped a black bear attacking it’s owner. The woman was being bitten about the head as the bear attacked without warning as she was walking her dogs. She stated that she was about to give up as her eye socket was crushed and bleeding badly, when the two dogs stepped in giving her  hope and the  realization that these dogs were willing to sacrifice their lives for her. She made it out of there and so did the dogs. This was her Sammy.

 

That’s it I guess, something about bears and more a tribute to Sammy and all of your Sammy’s. Guess we are hoping that there is a dog heaven and that Sammy is looking down giving us the chance to say, Thank You Sammy, for all the good and happiness you put into our lives, for protecting us, for loving us,  we love you.

 

Mike D. and Denise and the Family