This bear cub was strangled to death with a wire snare
intended for its mother. It was then hung on the post with the hope
that
she would return to look for it and then be killed. This is an example
of the brutality of many of our so-called "sportsmen."
Murdered baby bear.
Photo by Stan Pabst
Bears are irresistibly drawn to "bait" because they
require 20,000 calories a day if they are to survive the winter. This may
be very difficult since 90% of their diet consists of nuts, berries, roots
and other types of vegetation. By "baiting" so-called "sportsmen" can make
easy "kills."
The photograph below, taken in a forest northeast
of Parry Sound, shows the ease of approaching a bear when food is abundant.
Even though the photographer was only about five feet away, the bear’s
overpowering need to build up his energy reserves overcame his instinctive
fear of humans.
Stan Pabst’s organization is Friends of the Bears. He
is in Ontario, Canada, phone: 705-389-1777. We encourage you to contact
him. Please see "Other Organizations" section of this newsletter.
www
Stan also wrote:
Dear Anne:
Things have gone from bad to worse with regard to bear
hunting. Young bear cubs are being killed, put on a stake to lure the
mother to their certain demise. Fish hooks and razor blades are being
placed in the bait. This is called "American style hunting," but their
Canadian counterparts are quick learners. Bear parts are being traded in
summer camps for illegal drugs. Enclosed are a few pictures.
Photo by Stan Pabst
www
Many thanks to Joe Miele, NJ Field Rep for C.A.S.H. for
the following alert:
New Jersey’s black bears are in jeopardy of being
hunted for the first time in thirty years.
If the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife gets
its way, ten thousand permits to kill bears of all ages will be given out
to hunters, many of whom have no bear hunting experience.
While mayor of Woodbridge in 2000, current Governor
Jim McGreevey opposed the bear hunt that was called for by Fish & Wildlife. At
the eleventh hour, the hunt was stopped after Governor Christine Whitman
asked the Fish & Game council to reconsider their plans for a hunt. Since
that time, Fish & Wildlife has been spreading fear and hysteria among
the public in an attempt to justify a bear hunt. Their feeble attempts
at
education could more accurately be described as ways to make the public
afraid of black bears. After saying that their public educational programs
have not worked, the Fish and Game Council recently approved the first
bear hunt in New Jersey in thirty years, to coincide with the fall bow
hunting season.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Call Governor McGreevey at (609) 292-6000; or e-mail him through his
web page at
http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html and
tell him that you want the hunt stopped! Tell the governor that you wish
for him to honor his word and force the Fish & Game Council to
cancel the hunt, just as they did in 2000.
