Foolish activists try saving dangerous bear
Animal rights activists are showing once again they think of human life as 'less than.' Certainly less than a particular bear in Vernon, NJ.
A man at a condo complex reported a very close encounter with an aggressive bear. This man was charged by a bear that according to authorities might have swiped at the guy. The fact he was uninjured doesn't matter under state policy. A bear that behaves in this manner, specifically acting "aggressively with 10 feet of a person are classified as exhibiting Category 1 behavior," according to Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Larry Hajna.
A category 1 means euthanizing the bear. A trap was set on October 14 but so far the bear has yet to be captured. Meanwhile animal activists are livid and are asking for the bear's life to be spared. An attorney for the anti-hunt BEAR Group says there's no evidence the bear attacked anyone and this incident could have been a bluff charge. The group is calling the bear a "sweet, gentle mama bear" with 2 cubs. If you accidentally get in between the 2 cubs and that bear we'll see just how sweet and gentle she is.
Of course this group is putting on a full-court press, urging people to call the governor's office (who already rejects the expert advice of his own DEP) and a number of other officials to get them to intervene. It's disturbing to me that so-called animal lovers would prefer not to manage wildlife and let a bear population spin dangerously out of control. Dangerous not only for humans but the bears themselves. Calling off the annual bear hunt will mean too many bears fighting for territory and some starving slow and painful deaths. Placing the lives of bears above the lives or your own species is misguided.
These animal activists remind me of the story of Timothy Treadwell. He was a bear enthusiast who convinced himself he had some magical connection with bears and therefore they would never hurt him. Every summer he would live among grizzly bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska. When I say live among, he got so close he would sometimes touch them. He would play with their cubs. He convinced his girlfriend to go with him on his 13th summer. It was then that a brown bear turned on him. The audio of the fatal attack was captured on a recording device as Treadwell had made documentaries and the equipment was running at the time. I've included this audio from YouTube (it's only the audio, no visuals) but I warn you it is horrible to hear. As Treadwell is being devoured by the bear you hear him screaming to his girlfriend to hit the animal with a frying pan. Both of them were mauled to death by this creature, and later human remains and clothing were found in its stomach contents. For every animal activist who thinks life is a Disney movie and a bear can't be a dangerous animal you might want to brace yourself and listen to this audio.