file photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Franklin Lakes NJ, According to Franklin Lakes Police, a sedan struck and killed a small black bear on Route 208, hitting the bear between Ewing and Summit avenues in Franklin Lakes around 11 p.m. Friday.
In September of 2021 Governor Murphy reiterated “There will be no bear hunt this year. Period. I can say that definitively,” The state, he said, “is committed to nonlethal, humane but smart and safe means to control the population.”
The Garden state has since recorded 473 bear sightings and complaints of bears from Jan. 1 through May 21, according to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. The figure includes 374 reports of damage and nuisance, along with 99 sightings. During that period last year, New Jersey counted only 221 encounters, with 168 reports of damage and nuisance and 53 sightings. ( https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/pdf/2022/bear/activity_ytd_may22.pdf )
As of fall of 2021 the black bear population in the state was estimated to be about 3,100, double the 1,522 estimated population in 2018, the last year that a hunt was allowed on state-owned lands, according to the information given to the council by Richard Northrup, a professor in the Rutgers Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources. He is also a member of the Fish and Game Council and chairman of the state’s Endangered and Nongame Species Advisory Committee.
At the time of Murphy’s hunting ban many wildlife experts voiced concern of deadly encounters with bears in the high density Garden state .
On May 11 a bear attacked a woman in Lafayette while she checked her mail. She was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries to her right arm and buttock, according to a state DEP spokesperson. Environmental officials set a trap for the bear, with plans to euthanize it under state policy.
Earlier this year, two dogs were killed in January in Sparta, and an 81-year-old woman was injured in a different bear attack in the township.
This article is giving us half of the information. We need to educate the public about bears and what to do around them. Fish and wildlife only care about selling hunting and fishing permits to satisfy their salaries. Anyway having a simple whistle when going out to put trash out in areas where Bear are seen will scare them off if you see them. People created this problem not the bear. Two of the attacks were due to issues around garbage. The third I don’t know. Having Bear safe garbage cans would be good as well. We don’t care how many wildlife we put at risk to destroy their habitat for condos around the state. Poor planing and destroying huge woodland areas are the cause for a lot of our troubles from bear encounters to flooding to reduced clear air and many other issues. We need ecological planners to plan communities that have areas for people and wildlife. We all need to learn to co exist.
Whistle is an excellent idea. I’ve been scared to throw out the garbage at night for years (although I do it) because of local bear and coyote sightings. I will buy a small whistle somewhere (Woolworth’s, where are you?) and put it near the door. I will probably never need it but it will bring peace of mind. Thank you.