Lions and tigers and bears... Oh my!

We who live in the hinterlands of NJ have adjusted our lifestyles to fit the naive outlook of anti bear hunt people. Two dogs recently have been attacked. One in Vernon and one in Rockaway. Domesticated animals have been attacked and killed. I have had my children startle a bear and get chased down a 400 foot driveway. The extent of the damage done to domestic animals by bears is lightly reported by the press. We are told to put our garbage away and don't feed the birds. When we who live with this problem ask for a bear hunt the anti bear hunt people especially, it seems to me, the East Jerseyites protest and Trenton buckles.

This past weekend a young black bear decided to wander through Woodbridge, NJ. The resulting spectacle was something to see. Hundreds of spectators came to see the bear, Fish and Wildlife came to tranquillize the bear and believe it or not the police responded to the call about the bear (unlike here where, when a bear is trying to get into your barn, they tell you don't hurt the bear and stay inside it will go away).

Now, all of a sudden, the Star Ledger has an OP/ED piece advocating bear hunts. After years of living with much more of a problem than what happened in Woodbridge, one incident in East Jersey brings on a call for a bear hunt.

I guess it only matters when it is an East Jersey problem.