 Hey,
I don’t mind arm wrestling with the dudes, but those
wackos use guns and bows and arrows! |
The speaker, Dennis Ohab, stood at the podium nearly
shaking with fear. Identified by The
New York Times as
a turkey hunter from Jefferson Township, New Jersey, Ohab had
come to urge the New Jersey Fish and Game Council to initiate
a hunting
season on black bears. On June 6 of this year, nearly five
hundred people packed the National Guard Armory in Lawrenceville
to debate the need to reduce the state's bear population.
According to the state, over one thousand bears call
New Jersey home. Opponents of the hunt consider this a deliberate
overstatement, and even the state's own Black Bear Management Plan
(1997) contradicts the figures.
However, at the time of the hearing the Council had
already made its opinion known. The 2000-2001 Game Code included
an amendment calling for a hunting season on black bears with the
goal of killing up to three hundred and fifty bears during the first
year. Since, by law, the Council is required to hold a public
hearing regarding changes to the Game Code, it was now the public's
chance to speak out on the issue.
As the nasal-voiced Ohab recounted his story of being "chased" by
a bear, many in the audience began laughing. Ohab, in a state
of near hysteria, pleaded with the Council to do something. "Sooner
or later our children will get killed," he said.
While Ohab's agitated account of "hand to hand
combat" between people and bears was an almost comical exaggeration,
his fears echoed those of many at the hearing. Several participants
spoke of being afraid of possible bear attacks, and John W. Broadway,
the chairman of the Council, cited "safety" as the primary
reason for the hunt.
On the other side, opponents of the hunt spoke of peaceful
backyard encounters with bears and often described the bruins as "gentle." With
few exceptions, the perceived threat posed by bears dictated one's
feelings about the hunt. Those who saw bears as dangerous supported
the hunt; those who viewed bears as non-threatening opposed the hunt.
So the question begs asking: How
much of a threat are black bears to the safety of New Jersey residents?
If one looks at the data objectively,
the answer is: not much of a threat at all.
In both the 1997 New Jersey Black Bear Management Plan
and the 2000 Black Bear status report, the Division of Fish and Wildlife
could cite only two examples of a black bear inflicting injury on
a human. In 1986 a woman received three minor scratches when
she encountered a bear in the dark. In 1996 an individual was
bitten on the finger when he extended his hand toward a bear. Neither
individual received medical attention. There are no other reported
cases of a bear injuring a human in New Jersey. While this
fact seems crucial to any honest debate about the threat posed by
bears, it is rarely cited in newspaper reports and press releases
from the DFW.
The 1997 report further states that of the thirty-seven
known deaths caused by black bears in North America since 1907, nearly
all were associated with three geographic areas: Alaska, Alberta/British
Columbia, and Ontario/Michigan. According to the report, "...the
black bears involved in fatal attacks on human beings lived in less
developed/remote areas and apparently had little or no prior contact
with humans." New Jersey, the most densely populated
state in North America, clearly does not fit this profile. The
state's bear population, out of necessity, has grown accustomed to
the presence of humans.
If further evidence is needed, one can look to a study
by John O'Pezio, a black bear specialist with the New York Department
of Environmental Conservation. During the period 1960 through
1980, O'Pezio tallied a minimum of 77
million recreation days spent by people in areas occupied
by New York's black bears. Only three bear-related injuries occurred,
all of which were minor.
In "The Great American Bear," author Jeff
Fair offers further evidence on the potential threat. For each
death caused by black bears, approximately seventeen people in North
America have died of spider bites, twenty-five by snakebites, and
sixty-seven due to attacks by domestic dogs. According to Fair, "...on
the whole you are statistically 374 times more likely to be killed
by a bolt of lightning than by a black bear."
If that isn't enough, consider this: Humans attack
and kill their fellow humans at a rate of over 90,000 times that
of black bear manslaughter. So which species is the greater
threat?
Unfortunately, the Fish and Game Council has not publicized
these facts. In order to maintain and expand its budget, the
DFW must sell as many hunting licenses as possible. A hunting
season on bears represents a new revenue stream for the Division.
More significant is the personal bias of the Division's members. In
essence, the people who make the rules about hunting are people who
like to hunt. The Fish and Game Council and its cronies from various "sportsmen" organizations
support the hunt because they like the idea of killing bears. The
perception of bears as being a threat to public safety advances the
Council's goal and so little is done to publicize the truth.
Sadly, the mainstream media has followed the Council's
lead. It seems like a no-brainer: if a major theme of
a news story is the danger posed by bears, shouldn't the reporter
investigate the extent of the threat? Apparently not. Even
the venerable New York Times failed to cite any statistics
regarding violent encounters between bears and humans. Two
of the state's largest newspapers, The Star-Ledger and The Trenton
Times, quoted opponents of the hunt but omitted any facts that might
have supported the anti-hunting position.
As expected, the Fish and Game Council approved the
hunting season on bears, and starting this fall bears will once again
be legally killed in the Garden State.* While grass-roots
organizations like the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance (NJARA)
have done an admirable job of countering the negative press, these
small organizations lack the resources of the DFW and can do only
so much. Opponents of the hunt must use every opportunity to
educate the public regarding the almost non-existent threat of a
black bear attack.
It won't be easy. As noted bear expert Dr. Lynn
Rogers has stated, "It's tough to convince people that what
they believe is a vicious animal really isn't."
Yea! After much public
pressure and many thanks to NJARA, Stu Chaifetz, HSUS, and many others
who called to save the bears, Gov. Christie Whitman requested that
the game commission call off the bear hunt and they granted her request!
[The game commission consists of some governor appointees.]
Black Paw Outfitting Co., Alberta, CA
bemoaned the following: "The only negative in the spring of
2000 season was the high number of lost bears at 11. Please practice
with your weapon of choice, so that we do not have this occur again."Photo
from: http://www.bearpaw.ab.ca/bear_s00.htm
