SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A recent court decision has temporarily put the brakes on an upcoming black bear hunt in New Jersey.
In a move to control the rising number of black bears around New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy rolled back an order last month that bans black bear hunting.
The New Jersey Fish and Game Council, under the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), had approved the hunt to start on Monday, but animal activist groups — the Animal Protection League of New Jersey, the Humane Society of the United States and Friends of Animals — filed an emergency court challenge to block the hunt.
A judge temporarily halted the hunt, which was set to take place between Dec. 5 and 10 in designated zones. A motion is due Friday.
“The court will hear from animal advocacy groups as well as New Jersey in the coming week and then make a decision on whether to stay the regulations that allow this bear hunt, which would stop the bear hunt in December, or whether to allow it to go forward,” explained Jennifer Best, Friends of Animals wildlife law program director.
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She said there are more humane ways to mitigate the problem.
“It’s important for individuals who live near bears to manage their own actions — making sure they’re not leaving food out, making sure that they have bear-resistant trash cans and taking down bird feeders during certain months that could attract bears,” she said.
The state DEP estimates the black bear population is now around 3,000 and expects that number will grow by another 1,000 over the next two years.
Environmental officials say dense bear populations can lead to less natural food sources, so bears start to disperse into more urban areas.
Between January and October, bear damage and nuisance reports were up 237% compared to last year, the DEP said. New Jersey recorded 62 aggressive bear encounters with humans last year.
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“When there’s just an open hunt as is proposed in New Jersey, that’s not necessarily targeting the same bears that may be coming into people’s backyards and trying to get into their trash,” Best argued.
A DEP spokesperson declined to comment on the court challenge.