Bear Group

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2023 CALL TO ACTION

Bear advocacy is critical until bears are permanently protected. Please continue the fight! Our education efforts will continue until all residents become Bear Smart champions. We need everyone to pitch in to make this happen.

Disgusted by Governor Murphy? You are not alone. Put your anger into action!

  • Email Gov. Murphy
  • Tweet: @GovMurphy #SaveNJBears  
  • Tell him that we are outraged that he had 71 bears slaughtered in December, after all his talk of protecting them. Also, his administration didn’t do anything the Bear Group and APLNJ’s recommended, then turned and said nothing worked.

Keep up the pressure:

  • Refute bear lies. Whenever and wherever (newspaper, social media, radio, etc.) you see lies about bears, please counter it by commenting or writing a letter to the editor. See more information below on letter writing. This includes increased reporting on bear incidents.
  • Use these facts:
    • Bear hunts are cruel and do not reduce complaints or incidents.
    • Legislators who care about reducing bear incidents should support legislation that
      limits bears access to human food, such as the new feeding ban.
    • Bear Smart initiatives (education, garbage control, and other nonlethal methods) do
      prevent incidents with bears. Visit www.BearSmartNJ.org for more information.
    • Complaints and incidents rise and fall during hunts as well as nonhunting years.
    • The number of bears do not correlate with increased incidents.
    • The number one cause of incidents is human behavior.
  • Support Priority Legislation: A new bill to strengthen the current feeding ban law was introduced in January (2022). This bill is designed to reduce bear complaints and incidents. The new bill number is: S1891/A1967. It’s time to start lobbying our legislators to co-sponsor and support S1891/A1967. Use this Fact Sheet.
  • Get involved and STAY involved. Help us educate the public and support us financially so we can continue our work to permanently protect black bears. Contact Doreen.Frega@aplnj.org to join us at educational outreach events.

Follow the Bear Group on Facebook!

Follow us here to stay up-to-date on everything that is happening with our bears, the hunt, and most importantly, important actions we will ask you to take. Facebook helps us educate residents about the true nature of bears and cultivate activism. We are always looking for volunteers.

Write pro-bear letters to the editor

Letters have a huge impact on policy makers. For every person who writes a letter, they know that thousands of other people feel the same way. Letters are also free advertising for black bear protection in New Jersey! Keep your letters and comments short.

  • Bear hunts are cruel and are useless at reducing complaints and incidences.
  • Bear Smart initiatives (education, garbage control, and other nonlethal methods) are the only solution. Go here for more information.

When you are published, we will also post your letter to the Bear Group Facebook page!

  1. Asbury Park Press [Neptune]: yourviews@app.com
  2. Burlington County Times: gbarrett@phillyburbs.com
  3. Courier News: cnletters@mycentraljersey.com
  4. Courier Post: cpedit@courierpostonline.com
  5. The Daily Journal: djopinion@thedailyjournal.com
  6. Daily Record: letters@dailyrecord.com
  7. Gloucester County Times: letters@southjerseymedia.com
  8. Hammonton Gazette: grullo@hammontongazette.com
  9. Herald News: hnletters@northjersey.com
  10. Home News Tribune: hntletters@mycentraljersey.com
  11. Jersey Journal: jjletters@jjournal.com
  12. New Jersey Herald: letters@njherald.com
  13. Newark Star Ledger: eletters@starledger.com
  14. Philadelphia Inquirer: chenry@phillynews.com or inquirer.letters@phillynews.com
  15. Press of Atlantic City: letters@pressofac.com
  16. The Record: letterstotheeditor@northjersey.com
  17. Salem Sunbeam: southletters@southjerseymedia.com
  18. South Jersey Times: letters@southjerseymedia.com
  19. The Times of Trenton: letters@njtimes.com
  20. The Trentonian: letters@trentonian.com

Bear Group is part of the Coalition to Protect New Jersey Black Bears

If you landed on this page and are interested in your group becoming a member of the coalition, please email angi.metler@aplnj.org. The Coalition to Protect New Jersey Black Bears is a broad group of state and national organizations dedicated to black bear protection.

Coalition members:

Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animal Protection League of New Jersey, Bear Group, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of Animals United New Jersey, Humane Rescue Alliance/St. Hubert’s, The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust, Jersey Shore Wildlife Rescue, League of Humane Voters of New Jersey, Lesniak Institute for American Leadership, New Jersey Voters for Animals, People for Animals, Inc., Sierra Club, New Jersey Chapter, South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter