Topic
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Animal rights and environmentalism?
For your information
It is not the purpose of this NJOA update to distort or disparage the missions of other organizations. The purpose is to be factual and keep us informed of issues and developments that may impact matters of conservation and our freedoms to fish, hunt and trap.
One of the biggest threats to the functioning of the ecology and our way of life is the animal extremist movement. It uses words to fool people into believing that an animal right is rooted in environmental stewardship when in fact there is little or no correlation. Just as confusing are environmental organizations that advance animal rights while fixating the public on their environmental moniker.
Recently, we exposed that the director of the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance was a press officer for domestic terrorist organizations. The purpose of the OpEd was not only to disclose unseemly actions but to highlight that the mission of the organization is unrelated to any environmental facet.
We have also published communications from this organization that detailed a working relationship between national animal rights groups operating in New Jersey (HSUS, PETA, NJARA, Animal Protection Pac, etc.) Also in these communications was revealed what appeared to be a cooperative effort between NJARA and NJ Sierra, specifically to derail Sunday bow hunting. What should concern conservationists is a possible collaborative effort that is growing between the animal rights movement and a segment of the environmental movement such as NJ Sierra.
Below is an article on Black Bear sightings in NJ. What is noteworthy is that the writer is referencing both NJ Sierra and NJARA as "animal rights activists and environmental groups" in the same sentence. The teaming of the organizations by the writer may not be as much coincidence as the unconscious recognition of a philosophical merging between the entities. We've seen references of a collaboration against Sunday bow hunting, the 150' bow perimeter bill and the below article relates a teaming of ideas against the culling of bear populations.
Again, this update is simply for our consideration. It should be of special note to all those who believe that environmental stewardship is rooted in conservation and the mechanisms of ecology and not in the advancement of superficial agendas. It should also be said that regardless of our approaches we all have the best aspirations for our lands, waters, flora and fauna.
Here is the article:
Black bear sightings continue to rise in NJ
BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI The Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey residents have been seeing more black bears in recent years, but that doesn't mean the animals are causing serious problems.
Experts say bear populations are now at or near record levels in New Jersey and other nearby states. And since they're now in the midst of their breeding season, more bruins recently have been seen wandering through fields and near residential areas.
However, only six bears have been euthanized this year, all of them for threatening or dangerous behavior. That's compared with nearly 30 that were put down in 2008 and 18 in 2007, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
And while more sightings are being reported in more areas, there appears to be fewer conflicts between bruins and humans as people gain more knowledge about the animals.
"We continue to promote our public information campaign to make people more aware about how they can lessen the chances of bears causing them problems, no matter where they are," said Darlene Yuhas, a DEP spokeswoman.
Animal rights activists and environmental groups , such as the New Jersey Sierra Club and the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance , have cited the decline in the most dangerous types of bear incidents as a sign the state's non-lethal bear management program is working.
They also argue that bear hunts , which have been held sporadically in recent years , are not needed to control the bruin population, instead stressing simple things people can do to coexist with bears. For example, they urge residents to use bear-proof garbage containers, so bruins that now go through trash don't become more aggressive.
Obtaining such containers is part of the DEP's non-lethal management program.
Its goal is to educate people about bears and their habits and how they can limit potential interactions. It also calls for adverse conditioning , such as shooting bears with rubber bullets when they raid garbage cans or get too close to homes , so the bruins will hopefully avoid such behavior in the future.
Overall, the DEP recorded 2,024 bear-related incidents in 2008, twice as many as in 2007.
While many of those incidents were just sightings, the data includes everything from bears rifling through garbage to damaging property to breaking into homes. And while most of the sightings were in northwestern Jersey, bears were seen in all of the state's 21 counties.
The number of sightings rose from 372 in 2007 to 700 last year. There were 632 reported incidents of bears rifling through garbage compared to 319 in 2007, and 692 nuisance complaints , when bears repeatedly comes back to the same area , up from 331 in 2007.
Those numbers have spurred arguments from hunting advocates that another bear hunt is needed to control the bruin population. But after hunts were held in 2005 and 2003, the DEP canceled a proposed December 2006 hunt, saying the state needed to focus more energy on other ways to curb bear and human interactions.
Anthony P. Mauro, Sr
Chairman
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