Black Bears Under Fire
Our nation’s black bears are under attack. With trophy hunters aggressively pursuing their "right" to kill black bears under the guise of wildlife management and public safety, annual hunts have been scheduled in places like Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Claims that public safety is at stake are specious at best, especially considering that black bears have killed only two humans in the Eastern U.S. over the last century, and children as young as ten years old will be participating in the hunt.
Education would ensure public safety far better than letting children shoot potentially dangerous wild animals with high-powered rifles. People can dramatically reduce the number of black bear encounters by keeping food safely stored, and avoid harm to themselves and these wild animals when contact does occur by responding appropriately.
New Jersey
Claiming the need to reduce the number of black bears in New Jersey to ensure they don’t starve and to protect the public from attacks, thousands of heavily armed hunters entered the forest in 2003 and 2005, killing 625 bears during two state sponsored hunts.
The cruel hunts resulted in the unnecessary killing of hundreds of black bears native to the state. During these hunts, thousands of hunters set out into the New Jersey woods, each one hoping to bring home the coveted prize of a black bear carcass. The majority of bears killed were females and cubs, some less than a year old, and many uncounted cubs died alone in the forest after being orphaned.
As an alternative to killing, IDA is sponsoring the Black Bear Neutersol Project, a pilot program that, if successful, could effectively manage wild bear populations humanely. IDA has provided a grant to fund the efforts of a team of four New Jersey veterinarians, led by Dr. Gordon Stull, who hope to prove that the number of bears in the State of New Jersey can be stabilized without harming any of them.
Dr. Stull's team began by identifying the dominant males in specific geographic areas. After anaesthetizing and collaring the bears to track their movements, the researchers injected them with Neutersol, a chemical that suppresses sperm production, rendering the bears temporarily sterile. However, Neutersol does not affect testosterone levels, so theoretically, the bears should still perform their normal mating functions. Only the dominant male bears of a particular territory take part in mating, so only a relatively small number of animals needed to be treated for the experiment. The researchers theorize that after mating, the female bears will ovulate and experience a pseudo-pregnancy. As long as they believe they are carrying a cub, the females will reject other suitors. The researchers will determine whether the females are pregnant by examining their feces for the presence of hormones.
If the program proves successful, it could be implemented across the State of New Jersey and around the country wherever a need to manage bear populations is identified. Of course, the reasons that black bears are hunted in New Jersey have a lot more to do with politics than actual wildlife conservation. For example, salaries for the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (F&W) are paid for by the sale of hunting licenses, so they give hunters permission to kill over a million animals a year in the state just to cover their own salaries and benefits. F&W's Black Bear Management Plan (BBMP) even recommends "Reestablish(ing) a hunting season for black bear to provide recreational opportunity for the sporting public..." even though the vast majority of New Jersey's citizens are not hunters.
Fortunately for bears, in 2006, the State Supreme Court ruled in favor of Lisa Jackson, the Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner who decided to cancel the hunt originally planned for December 4th - 9th. Hunting groups had tried to sue the state in an attempt to get them to reinstate the hunt, challenging Commissioner Jackson's authority to call it off. The court decided that because she is responsible for the state's environmental policies, she was authorized to review and amend policies established by previous administrations.
Now New Jersey animal advocates are seeking permanent protection of black bears through the Black Bear Protection Bill (A-525). For more information, visit www.savenjbears.com.
Virginia
After losing a hard-fought court battle, the first ever black bear hunt in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Suffolk, Va. went ahead. But, fortunately for the bears, the two-day hunt ended without a single bear being killed. A few hunters reported seeing bears, but were not close enough to shoot them. High water in the swamp and muddy conditions slowed hunters down and made bears more difficult to track.
While the efforts of IDA, the Animal Welfare Institute, and the American Environment Foundation did not stop the hunt, we are glad that no bears were hurt. At the very least, the controversy drew unprecedented attention to the issue, so more people are aware now that unnecessary bear hunts are taking place in the Refuge in the name of "recreation." When people learn that such hunts are conducted not to protect the public or "manage" bear populations but to give hunters more trophy animals to shoot, they reject them.
Once again, the Refuge is getting set to hold a cruel two-day hunt in early December 2007 in which bears will be unnecessarily killed in the name of recreation. This year, the Refuge has decided to double the number of hunters (from 50 to 100) allowed on the refuge each day, and has expanded the area open to bear hunting without any consideration of the impacts of such changes on the environment, the bear population, or other refuge users.
This hunt is not taking place to curb overpopulation, nor is it to protect members of the public. It is simply to provide hunting enthusiasts an opportunity to hunt big-game creatures such as black bears.
When the hunt came under fire last year, hunt promoters cited increasing encounters with bears in commercial and residential areas in the vicinity of the Wildlife Refuge. In reality, public safety cannot be the reason for the hunt -- especially considering that over the past century only two lives have been claimed by black bears in the entire Eastern U.S. Compare this to the nearly one thousand lives that are claimed in motor accidents every year in Virginia alone.
A wildlife refuge should be a sanctuary for animals and a place of education and preservation; not a forum for needless carnage. Public safety can be better ensured through education on coexisting with wildlife: people can dramatically reduce the number of encounters with black bears by keeping food safely stored and avoid harm to themselves and these wild animals when contact does occur by responding appropriately.
What You Can Do
Please Take Action to urge Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine to call off the hunt. Also Take Action to send the same message to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. For best effect, please edit the sample letters, and follow up with polite letters, phone calls, emails, or faxes.
Governor Timothy Kaine
Office of the Governor, 14th Floor
One Capitol Square, 830 E. Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Tel: (804) 371-0840
Fax: (804) 371-0935
Online feedback form
Suzanne Baird, Refuge Manager
The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
3100 Desert Road
Suffolk, Virginia 23434
Tel: (757) 986-3705
greatdismalswamp@fws.gov
Marvin Moriarty, Regional Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA 01035-9589
Tel: (413) 253-8200
Fax: (413) 253-8308
northeast@fws.gov
Visit IDA’s Save Virginia Bears website
The "Bear" Facts
- Black bears’ natural lifespan is 20-30 years.
- Black bears have roamed the forests of North America for centuries—long before Native Americans.
- They can hear better than humans, see in color, and have good vision.
- Adult black bears can weigh from 130 to 500 pounds. Their weight changes dramatically, sometimes doubling prior to hibernation.
- Humans are black bears’ main predators.
- Bear attacks are very rare, and have never been documented in Virginia.
- Black bears are omnivores, feasting on grass, plant growth, berries, insects and fish.
- Black bears love to eat human food and don’t mind digging through garbage to get to it.
Living in harmony with black bears
Urbanization and encroachment in bear habitat is a main reason for increased encounters with bears. People living in such areas can take preventative measures to decrease problems with bears. Lethal management is not the answer.
- Dissuade bears from wandering near your home by eliminating their access to food sources.
- Keep garbage cans in an enclosed area. Do not put garbage out until the morning of pick-up and keep lids on cans to avoid broadcasting smells to bears and other animals.
- Keep your animal companions indoors. Do not leave pet food outdoors.
- Plant crops away from timber stands and brush. Remove beehives from wooded areas.
- Use heavy fencing to keep bears from fruit trees, berries patches, and garden crops.
- Deter bears with barking dogs, loud music, bright lights, fireworks, and other loud noises combined with a variety of visually shocking phenomena.
- Thoroughly clean outdoor grills after use.
- Feeding birds and squirrels can attract black bears and other animals, so fill bird feeders only through the winter months when bears are hibernating.
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