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More serious encounters like the two dog incidents in January and the attack on a woman in May are rare. The Star Ledger Editorial Board argued the bear hunt is necessary to make bears fear people. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 7/1/2023). MEDFORD, Wis. (WSAW) - Two people were injured Friday evening after they were attacked by a bear. New Jerseys black bears are not true hibernators and can be active in winter, and at any time of the day or night. Furthermore, bears learn fear more from being stalked, which can be done by non-hunters, such as photographers. The caller seems confused about where he was and said he and other had been running for about two minutes before ending up near a neighborhood and calling police. Fish and wildlife workers subsequently trapped and killed the suspected problem bear. The tragic incident in West Milford should not be the basis to implement a terrible bear policy with even worse consequences. Hunting predators makes no ecological sense. They said the attack was the first fatal bear-human encounter on record in New Jersey. The New Jersey Fish and Game Department was notified and will do a follow-up investigation on this attack, said the police. While I think bear spray is not needed for black bears in New Jersey, it may provide people the peace of mind they need. But experts say such attacks, if verified, have happened only a few dozen times in North America over more than a century and often go unexplained. As a result, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlifes data lacks credibility. Of those, 47 or 78 percent took place in remote areas of Canada and Alaska, and only three were in the eastern half of the United States (Tennessee and New York). WEST MILFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - Police have released a 911 call made by a friend of the victim of last weekend's deadly bear attack in New Jersey . P.O. In 2014, 22-year-old Rutgers University student Darsh Patel was killed by a black bear while hiking with friends in the Apshawa Preserve, which also is in West Milford. The images. The husband and wife were both . While New Jersey has a law that prohibits intentional feeding of bears, the law is not enforced. Caitlyn Kovacs, a sophomore, died after a fraternity party on Sunday, WABC reported. All rights reserved, Tornadoes strike Pennsylvania, NJ during Monday's storms, Exonerated member of Central Park Five takes lead in NYC Council primary, Spotty showers linger as NYC metro air quality expected to worsen again due to Canadian wildfires, Video shows touching moment lab chimp sees the sky for the first time in 28 years, Costco is cracking down on membership card sharing with in-store spot checks, Daniel Penny grand jury charges to be unsealed at Wednesday arraignment for chokehold case, Manhattan drivers to pay extra tolls in effort to reduce congestion in first-in-nation plan. PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ A video shows that a black bear got quite a surprise Tuesday night after wandering into Mark Stinziano's West Milford backyard. First published on September 26, 2014 / 8:43 PM. Patel was a senior at Rutgers University's School of Arts and Sciences, majoring in information technology and informatics. Fish and wildlife workers subsequently trapped and killed the suspected problem bear. Bears The West Milford Fatal Bear Attack, September 21, 2014 The West Milford Fatal Bear Attack, September 21, 2014 On September 21, 2014, a fatal predatory black bear attack occurred in West Milford, Passaic County. Thus, the risk of a black bear killing a person in New Jersey is extremely low. There is the rare predatory attack like what this appears to be, said Lynn Rogers, a Minnesota-based biologist with the Wildlife Research Institute and the North American Bear Center. Patel was the second student from Rutgers University to die during the weekend, the school confirmed in a letter to students. September 26, 2014 / 8:43 PM Public safety concerns surrounding black bears should focus on more common rather than fluke events. Bear Attack Victim Left Horrifying Phone Message for Husband, Hiker Survives 3 Months in Wilderness Following Bear Attack. First fatal bear attack on record in New Jersey. The New Jersey hunt will induce even less fear due to hunters being allowed to shoot bears eating bait, such as jelly doughnuts. But hunger alone would not explain what may have been the fatal attack in the Apshawa Preserve, Rogers said. | services The governor banned bear hunting on state lands in 2018. Though extremely rare, such fatal predatory attacks have and do occur throughout black bear habitat in North America, including New York, Virginia, and other East Coast states. Thus, the notion New Jerseys bear hunt somehow has a completely different result is highly unlikely in my humble opinion. They want your food. WEST MILFORD An Edison hiker was found dead Sunday after an encounter with a bear, police said. In 2014, 22-year-old Rutgers University student Darsh Patel was killed by a black bear while hiking with friends in the Apshawa Preserve, which is also in West Milford. Those can include incidents where bears are spotted out of normal territory, like when a bear climbed to the top of a utility pole outside a Bergen County bakery last month. | links *Letter from DFW Director Chanda to WMPD Chief Storbeck, 10-24-14 (pdf, 115kb), division of fish & wildlife: home An average female will have two cubs every other year, and both cubs will survive, leading to an overall reproduction rate similar to a white-tailed deer, Diefenbach said. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. As such, the group of five young men, which should have been an unlikely target, clearly acted in a manner that provoked an attack. | citizen / CBS New York. bears infrequently encounter people and may be more likely to perceive humans as prey). Back in 2005, Dr. Edward Tavss reviewed a number of studies from different states, such as Virginia, New York, Minnesota and Ontario, Canada, and found bear hunting either increased or had no impact on the number of bear complaints. Black bear hunting does not make bears fear people. Many explanations do not account for the apparent attack. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. "We were hiking and we saw a bear, and we all started running and it started chasing us.". Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. One look at the Fish and Games composition shows 100% of its members come from groups exploiting animals. Bears are killed as soon as possible. Mr. Pierce believed there were claw marks on the dogs side that caused internal injury and ultimately death, according to the police. Wildlife officials believe there is a current shortage of acorns and berries that bears eat. New Jersey has one documented death from a bear encounter in state history. This line of thinking is supported by a recent study by two biology professors, including the world famous Isle Royale Wolf Project researcher John Vucetich, who persuasively argue that predator hunting is not justified from a biological, moral or ethical point of view. The resident required more than 30 stitches to his face. The governor banned bear hunting on state lands in 2018. Sixty fatal attacks were recorded from 1900 to 2007, according to Rogers. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Google Translate is an online service for which the user pays nothing to obtain a purported language translation. Black bears rarely kill people especially in places like New Jersey. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. *East Stroudsburg University Necropsy Report (pdf, 2.5mb) West Milford police say Darsh Patel and four friends from Edison were hiking in the Apshawa Preserve, a 576-acre natural area used for . "This is a rare occurrence," West Milford police Chief Timothy Storbeck said at a news conference today. According to black bear biologist Lynn Rogers, only one in a million black bears would try and kill someone. The attack took place in the Apshawa Preserve, a 576-acre nature preserve cooperatively managed by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Passaic County. ). This incident, which occurred a few miles from where I live in a park I enjoy hiking in, really hit home for me. Thats all going to lead to an increase in human-bear conflicts.. Furthermore, hunting tends to skew the population to less experienced animals, who may have less foraging knowledge, and therefore may less effectively fulfill their ecological role as mature animals. Additionally, New Jerseys black bear hunt under the guise of population control allows slob hunting practices, which violate ethical hunting concepts such as fair chase. WEST MILFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Rutgers University senior who was hiking with friends in a New Jersey nature preserve was attacked and killed by a nearly 300-pound black bear Sunday.. Human encounters with bears are rare and decreasing in New Jersey, Larry Ragonese of the state Department of Environmental Protection said today, offering advice for anyone who comes across one outside. Diefenbach said that while bear hunts are the only effective method of population control, specific objectives should be set for location and number of bears to be killed. The friends who got separated from a Rutgers student while hiking in a New Jersey nature preserve called 911 in a panic, telling the dispatcher they had just been chased by a black bear and. Additional amounts are also left by bear hunters as well. Police said the man needed more than 30 stitches to his face. West Milford police and other officers responded, and found Patel's body a short time after they arrived. I want to go back, but I'm hurt and I don't know what to do," the caller said. When agitated, a black bear may pop its jaws, utter a series of huffs, swat the ground, or stand on their hind legs, the DEP says. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. | dep State and local officials have stressed that bear attacks are rare even in a region of . It is the first documented bear fatality in New Jersey's history. Black bear attacks on humans are rare, but can be deadly. The state Division of Fish and. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlifes data supporting bear public safety concerns has significant flaws. New Jersey does not effectively prevent bears from accessing garbage and other human sources of food. He brought his dog to the animal hospital. Blame the increase in sightings on people forced to stay home because of COVID-19. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Instead, we should use the increased attention to get serious on reducing conflicts we have control over. The methods the New JerseyDivision of Fish and Wildlife uses to compile bear incidents are also flawed. The user is on notice that neither the State of NJ site nor its operators review any of the services, information and/or content from anything that may be linked to the State of NJ site for any reason. October 31, 2014, NJDFW Bureau of Law Enforcement Report, CO Driscoll, NJDFW Bureau of Law Enforcement Report, Lt. Sutton, NJ Dept. A woman attacked by a bear while checking her mail in May. The victim lost his shoe, appeared exhausted and the bear was five feet from Mr. Patel when witnesses last saw him. As a result, the bear hunt will not make bears fear people to any significant degree and increase public safety. Estimates place the wild black bear population at about 950,000 across North America, Rogers said. Aversive conditioning, which consists of such things as shooting bears with rubber bullets, using specially trained dogs to harass bears, and loud noises, attempts to encourage nuisance bears to leave residential areas. NJDEP Hotline Incident Report (pdf, 85kb) Mr. Pierce of Layton Lane said he let his five-year-old Yorkie, Tommy, didnt return when he was called after relieving himself in the backyard. The increase in sightings and incidents has been cited by hunting advocates such as the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance in calling for an expansion of the annual bear hunting season. The most serious incidents involving aggressive bears make up less than 7% of the reports tracked between 2013 and 21. Thus, the Fish and Game Council is not an unbiased body making wildlife management decisions. When those cubs are ready to go off on their own, theyll sometimes wind up 100 miles away from their mothers, increasing the scope of a bears habitat. Recent research on populations of heavily hunted gray wolves, who also have no natural predators, show these wolves have elevated levels of stress hormones that potentially have significant negative evolutionary and human conflict effects. Fish and wildlife workers trapped and killed a bear Tuesday as it left the garage of a home in West Milford, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement first issued Friday. "For folks who are out there hiking and looking to enjoy our nature, especially in the fall, we would want to tell them that if you encounter a bear in nature you must remain calm," he said. But the group of five continued on, spotting the bear and taking pictures of the animal with their cell phones from what they thought was a safe distance. This years early increase in reported encounters across incident types is a bit of an outlier, according to an NJ Advance Media analysis of black bear incident data going back to 2013. *Statement of "Hiker 1" (pdf, 135kb) Lets act in a way that fits with who we are as a people. hunters and fishers) recommended to the Governor for appointment by the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmens Clubs. Bear spray, which is essentially a large canister of pepper spray, is highly effective and even more so than a gun. West milford passes bear resolution. Updated on Aug 2, 2020, 10:32 a.m. Anyone encountering a bear should remain calm, avoid direct eye contact, make the bear aware of their presence by making noise and speaking assertively and make sure the bear has an escape route, officials said. My deepest condolences go out to the victims family and friends. If people have a problem, and theres a place to report that problem, and the agency tracks that information, I dont know what more they could do for data collection, Diefenbach said. However, they may be active at any time of the day or night. Just a few years of restrictive hunting could lead to a significant increase in the population, Diefenbach said. The public is advised that this tragic event is far from the typical of usual bear/human interaction that occurs in New Jersey. One bear fled while the other bear fatally slammed the womans English springer spaniel. In some cases, that goal would be reducing bear-human conflicts. Don't panic.". Are black bears a serious danger to humans? State and local officials have stressed that bear attacks are rare even in a region of the state that may have as many as 2,400 bruins in its dense forests. For example, approaching a black bear they knew was acting aggressively put themselves in danger. Bears are incredibly good at finding sources of food, and dont discriminate what they will or wont eat. Posted in bear hunt, black bear, garbage, New Jersey Division of Fish and Game, Uncategorized, West Milford, West Milford Fatal Bear Attack, wildlife management, Tagged bear hunt, black bear, garbage, New Jersey Division of Fish and Game, West Milford, West Milford Fatal Bear Attack, wildlife management, Bear Hunt Supporters Exploit a Tragedy to Push for MoreKilling, black bear killed a young man named Darsh Patel, defended Hunterdon Humane Animal Shelters President, demanded that New Jersey expand its bear hunt, supports reducing restrictions on the bear hunt, West Milford Town Council voted by a 4-2 margin, 63 people in North America were killed by black bears in 59 attacks, nearly 80% of these incidents took place in remote areas of Alaska and Canada, around 100 people each year are killed in hunting accidents in the United States, black bear initially encountered and stalked, but did not attack, five young men approached the bear and took photos with their cell phones from approximately 30 yards away, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife specifically warns not to take these two actions, woman fell off a cliff and suffered serious injuries, two people died from falls off the same Catskills hiking trail, law limiting pepper spray to one pocket-sized device, is highly effective and even more so than a gun, Fish and Game Council through an archaic 1945 law must have the following members, New Jersey hunters only comprise approximately 1% of the states population, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife called for a hunting season, used the agencys data to argue the bear hunt is working despite reported serious bear complaints increasing the last two years when bear numbers decreased due to hunting, 33 or 31% of Category 1 incidents in 2013 actually related to public safety, bear experts from the Fourth International Human-Bear Conflicts Workshop, may be due to more awareness of the issue rather than an increase in actual incidents, State wildlife agencies may in fact drum up fear, found bear hunts killing as much as 50% of the bear population did not reduce serious bear incidents, reported more bear complaints despite more bears killed during hunts, found nuisance bears got killed equally as often as non-conflict bears, hunting predators creates social chaos and typically results in younger populations, New Jersey has a law that prohibits intentional feeding of bears, News 4 New York found dozens of unsecured garbage containers, New Jersey deer hunters leave over 1 million pounds of food as bait, black bears may help limit overly abundant whitetail deer populations, show these wolves have elevated levels of stress hormones, persuasively argue that predator hunting is not justified. All rights reserved. Additionally, building more signs at trailheads about how to act around a bear may have prevented the behavior that led to the fatal West Milford attack. Authorities say a black bear has been euthanized after an attack on an 82-year-old man in the garage of his North Jersey home last . For example, bears consume berries and spread the seeds elsewhere when they defecate. Bear attacks are rare but they do happen. The DEP says that, to protect pets against black bears, bring them inside at night or secure them in a pen with an electric fence, and always walk your dog on a leash. Fish and wildlife workers trapped and killed the suspected problem bear on Tuesday in West Milford, the New Jersey Department of Environmental . WEST MILFORD The hiker who was killed by a bear in September took pictures. Killing a resident bear who is not causing conflict opens up the territory for another bear who may cause problems. of Agriculture Necropsy Final Report (pdf, 25kb) But wind chills drove temperatures down into the single digits at the time of Thursdays attack. Thus, hunting bears may in fact increase rather than reduce conflicts with people. As a result, the groups actions likely turned a potentially dangerous bear into a deadly bear. of Agriculture Necropsy Final Report, East Stroudsburg University Necropsy Report, East Stroudsburg University DNA Profile Report, Letter from DFW Director Chanda to WMPD Chief Storbeck, 10-24-14, download For example, only 33 or 31% of Category 1 incidents in 2013 actually related to public safety. All such attacks on the ground that I know of, a half dozen, ended when the person lay still and quiet.. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 7/1/2023). Ironically, just two days after the West Milford bear attack, a woman fell off a cliff and suffered serious injuries while hiking in nearby Sparkill, New York. Furthermore, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported a 69% decrease in bear incidents reported in the two areas after the bear proof garbage cans were used. Patel was part of a group of five Edison men hiking through the Apshawa. However, other incidents, such as bears breaking into homes, occur more frequently and black bear management policies should focus on reducing these conflicts. West Milford Police said a black bear attacked an 82-year-old man in his garage late last month. Fish and wildlife workers subsequently trapped and killed the suspected problem bear. Last September, a black bear killed a young man named Darsh Patel in West Milfords Apshawa Preserve. New Jersey has seen a food failure of sorts, with a relative lack of oak acorns, hickory nuts, and beechnuts, said Rogers. Predictably, anti-animal Star Ledger opinion writer, Paul Mulshine, who recently defended Hunterdon Humane Animal Shelters President charged with animal cruelty, demanded that New Jersey expand its bear hunt. New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Cannot Be Trusted to Implement Proper Bear Management Policies. There were no unprovoked dog or human attacks in the first five months of last year, according to the DEP. Some half dozen attacks have been recorded in news accounts since 2010, spanning from Arizona, to Alaska. Specifically, the Fish and Game Council through an archaic 1945 law must have the following members: 1) 3 farmers recommended to the Governor for appointment by the agriculture convention, 2) 6 sportsmen(i.e. 3) Category 3: Bears exhibiting normal behaviors and not causing a nuisance or a threat to public safety. Black Bear Hunting Makes So Sense from Ecological or Animal Welfare Perspectives. Even worse, the agency wanted to reduce the number of bears to around 300 in the entire state or around 10% of the number of bears we currently have. A mother is hospitalized after a black bear attacked her in her gated community in Longwood, Fla., Dec. 3, 2013. The bear was stalking Patel's body and would not leave the area even after officers tried to scare it away by making loud noises and throwing sticks and stones, and it eventually was killed with two rifle blasts. Incidents of all types have been generally declining, with the most serious types of incidents remaining a relatively small share across the years. Generally provide advice to residents, but no action taken against bears. (Shutterstock photo)/Shutterstock via Michigan Department of Natural Resources. State wildlife agencies may in fact drum up fear and cause increased reporting of conflicts. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The veterinarians were unable to save him because of the severity of his injuries. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. "It must have been a young bear because it only stood about 5 feet while on its hinds," DeVore said. "We were hiking and we saw a bear and we all started running and it started chasing us. Unfortunately, bears, like many food-habituated animals, may lose their fear of people and become a risk to public safety. Furthermore, black bear hunting at current levels likely will result in few black bears living anywhere close to their natural lifespan without hunting. While an argument could be made human hunters make up for extinct native carnivores which preyed on New Jersey whitetail deer, such as red wolves and cougars, the same argument cannot be made for New Jersey black bears who have no natural predators. NJ Dept. online Does bear hunting increase public safety? 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Thus, the bear hunt likely reduces public safety by increasing the risk people are accidentally shot by hunters. Even worse, the New JerseyDivision of Fish and Wildlife added a data collection source in 2003 which increased reported complaints and led to a bear hunt. You want to make sure the bear has an escape route. The bear hunt may not increase public safety for a number of reasons. ), Clifton, NJ 13-year-old in a coma after bike-car collision, Violent machete attack gets slow Paterson, NJ police response, Shootout at Paterson, NJ school between security guard and man angry over parking, cops say, Man spews anti-gay slurs in Paterson, NJ stabbing, cops say, No help for NJ patients seeking records from suddenly closed dermatology centers, Another Montclair University, NJ student faces child porn charge, Not even used cooking oil is safe: Grease thieves busted in NJ traffic stop, Prosecutor: Owner, workers posed as fake vets at NJ animal hospital, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and EEO Report. They are typically not aggressive animals and tend to be wary of people. As Diefenbach puts it, If its digestible, a black bear will eat it.. Bears will also eat pet food, so avoid feeding pets outside. Darsh Patel was 22. Public safety is quite an ironic argument bear hunt supporters use. There have been at least nine home entries by bears from January 1 to July 21, which doesn't include the most recent one, compared to four during the same period last year. Specifically, the agency used additional data sources, which included counting the same incidents twice, to collect data during the years bear complaints surged. As a result, preventing bears access to food helps efforts to encourage bears to leave residential areas. Category 1 bear complaints are the only serious incidents potentially affecting public safety. Bear attack in West Milford happened after warning from hikers, was 'one in a million,' experts say Published: Oct. 08, 2014, 9:59 p.m. 28 Suspected bear attack kills Edison man at West. The cause of death is pending an autopsy, but police suggested it is alcohol-related, according to WABC. Thus, the New Jersey bear hunt should not take place based on a moral argument as well. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Additionally, other sources of human food provided to bears, such as pet food and bird/wildlife feeding, were not eliminated and doing so could have further decreased the number of bear-human interactions. Patel was a senior at Rutgers University's School of Arts and Sciences. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife places bear complaints into the following groups: 1) Category 1: Bears posing a serious threat to people or property. While such fees could go to general government uses, these fees are instead specifically used to support wildlife management programs. Those include attacks on people, fenced livestock or attempts to enter a home, car or tent. New Jersey is a perfect example of when thats a difficult task.. Fish and wildlife workers subsequently trapped and killed the suspected problem bear. There were three non-fatal attacks on people between 2013 and 2021. Notably absent are any members focused on maintaining healthy ecosystems or animal welfare. Biologist, hunter and former hunting guide, George Wuerthener, persuasively arguesthat state wildlife agencies, such as the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, consistently ignore the ecological role predators play and the social composition of carnivores. They ran, splitting up along the way, and when the friends couldn't find Patel, they called police, who found the student's body about two hours later. State officials say there have been 200 bear sightings around New Jersey so far this year, about a 90 percent increase from the same period last year. Last Updated: According to West Milford police and officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection, the body of 22-year-old Darsh Patel, a student at Rutgers University, was found with bite. Authorities have still not released an autopsy of Patel, to determine his exact cause of death. WEST MILFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) Police have released a 911 call made by a friend of the victim of last weekend's deadly bear attack in New Jersey. of Agriculture Necropsy Intermediate Report, NJ Dept. Even worse, the Star Ledger Editorial Board agreed with Mulshine and supports reducing restrictions on the bear hunt based on supposed public safety reasons. Also, surges in public reporting of bear complaints may be due to more awareness of the issue rather than an increase in actual incidents. Black bear hunting reduces public safety by increasing the risk people are accidentally shot. | government bears eating crops, livestock kills, etc. Gov. *NJDFW Bureau of Law Enforcement Report, Lt. Sutton (pdf, 235kb) A necropsy determined it was not rabid. Specifically, bear experts from the Fourth International Human-Bear Conflicts Workshop agreed using phone calls to measure bear incidents, which the New JerseyDivision of Fish and Wildlife does, is a terrible choice. By Ellen Wulfhorst (Reuters) - A man hiking in a heavily wooded area of northern New Jersey was killed by a black bear during the weekend, police said on Monday, in what experts called an.

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