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That bear attack was predictable – and predicted (Mulshine)

23 Sep 2014, Posted by admin in Science and Environmental Issues, State News

That fatal attack by a black bear in Passaic County should come as a surprise to no one.

Thanks to pressure from the anti-hunting crowd, New Jersey’s bear population has grown far beyond the capacity of our limited forests to support it. Look at a map of the northwest corner of the state and you will see that there are very few areas that aren’t within a few miles of roads and/or development. And most of that is older development, by the way.

The idea that humans are moving into bear country is nonsense. Fifty years ago, when most of those roads and houses already existed, there were almost no bears in the state. The bears moved into human country, not the other way around. And thanks to pressure from the animal activists, the state hasn’t been able to schedule enough bear hunts to keep their numbers down.

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