Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The only "evidence" I've seen is in the comments section of the various NJ.com articles by bear kooks who are 150% certain that a black bear would NEVER harm a human being and that there MUST be more to the story... If you want to be an animal rights type, fine, have at it, but don't pretend that a wild animal that is far stronger and faster than a human being is like a big cuddly puppy. This is verbiage from their website:
The claims that their claws are not dangerous and they don't defend their young is absurd. Also, time to update that last part.
This is part of the problem-if you see a black bear from your deck it's not normal and not a good thing. People in NJ think "Oh goodie! I moved out to the country and now I can see black bears from my porch!" That's a bear that has zero fear of humans.
We have had them for years and years and years. I'm not a newly transplanted city person, not my first rodeo. They were always there in the woods until they cut down all 30 acres to build McMansions in my neighborhood and that's when we started to actually see them.
We have had them for years and years and years. I'm not a newly transplanted city person, not my first rodeo. They were always there in the woods until they cut down all 30 acres to build McMansions in my neighborhood and that's when we started to actually see them.
The point I was attempting to make is that it's not normal for a bear to wander through your backyard. Ever. If bears are wandering into/through your yard its indicative of the fact that they are living too close to human settlement and as a result, have become comfortable there. We can go back and forth all day about how they were there first, etc... However, the fact remains that its not good, normal, or acceptable for bears to be roaming in backyards.
The victim was a college student. The vast majority of colleges prohibit students from carrying guns, not just those in NJ. Where should he have left his gun while attending classes?
I do agree that people need to learn what to do when encountering a bear. Fortunately, grizzlies and polar bears aren't known to inhabit NJ.
At home, he lived in Edison. Even if he didn't, it's silly to say that relaxing overly strict gun laws would not have helped in this situation because of the overly strict gun laws and policies.
The point I was attempting to make is that it's not normal for a bear to wander through your backyard. Ever. If bears are wandering into/through your yard its indicative of the fact that they are living too close to human settlement and as a result, have become comfortable there. We can go back and forth all day about how they were there first, etc... However, the fact remains that its not good, normal, or acceptable for bears to be roaming in backyards.
It may not be normal but it is what it is, unless they show aggressive tendencies the game and wild life people or who ever over sees them won't do anything so we just stay aware and live with it as do my neighbors.
I can't legally shoot the thing as he short cuts through my yard now can I?
It may not be normal but it is what it is, unless they show aggressive tendencies the game and wild life people or who ever over sees them won't do anything so we just stay aware and live with it as do my neighbors. I can't legally shoot the thing as he short cuts through my yard now can I?
No, nor should you, but you could certainly report it so that it can be tagged, monitored, and if necessary, trapped and relocated. Perhaps if that had been done with this bear in the past he wouldn't have been so emboldened. Don't forget that if this bear had a healthy fear of humans, not only would the hiker still be alive, the bear would still be alive as well. Ensuring that bears are averse to human contact is as much for our safety as it is for theirs. This is where the animal rights kooks go off the rails:
it must really suck to get killed by a bear. i think most animals in the wild die while being eaten by something else.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If you want to be an animal rights type, fine, have at it, but don't pretend that a wild animal that is far stronger and faster than a human being is like a big cuddly puppy. This is verbiage from their website:
