This NJ bear protest is getting it completely wrong

There’s a bear protest planned in Paramus this Saturday, Dec. 20, and I’m going to say this part out loud: It is deeply misguided.

The protest is scheduled for noon to 1 p.m., outside Steven Corn / Maximilian Furs on Route 17 North. Protesters are calling it a “Bear Banner Protest” and framing it as opposition to the December Black Bear Trophy Hunt extension, which officially ends that day.

Their talking point is that 454 “innocent, precious, helpless bears” have been killed during Gov. Murphy’s October and December hunts.

What they are not talking about is the people.

New Jersey’s growing bear problem is about public safety

New Jersey has a real bear problem, not a theoretical one, not an emotional one, a real, legitimate problem for people on-the-ground. People are getting hurt.

Bears are breaking into homes, attacking livestock and wandering into neighborhoods, schoolyards, and backyards like they own the place. At this point, they kind of do.

Wildlife management is not cruelty; it is reality.

The idea that “bear rights” should outweigh human safety is where this whole thing goes off the rails. People have been seriously injured and traumatized, and if we’re honest, the situation is underreported, not exaggerated.

The population has grown beyond what this state can safely sustain.

Gov. Murphy, executive power, and the politics of the bear hunt

Gov. Murphy absolutely has the power to issue executive orders, and he used that power in 2022 to allow a December hunt. Protesters now want him to use it again to stop it; it’s the opposite of what we need.

We have not killed “too many” bears.

If anything, we have failed to manage the population responsibly for years, and now everyone is paying the price, including the bears.

Standing on Route 17 with banners may feel righteous, but it does nothing to address the real problem. Emotional protests do not replace science, data, or common sense, and they definitely do not protect families.

New Jersey needs enforcement, management, and honesty.

Not slogans.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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