NJOA Questions DEP Silence On Recent Bear Attack

Trenton – Sportsmen coalition questions obvious narrative manipulation ahead of key bear management court case.

The New Jersey Outdoor Alliance on Friday released a statement slamming Governor Murphy’s administration over the deafening silence regarding the recent bear attack in West Milford, NJ.

“The NJOA has warned Governor Murphy time and time again about the ramifications of his disastrous lack of support for the Comprehensive Bear Management Policy and the consequences of allowing his deep-pocketed anti-hunting extremist pocket pals dictate his policy instead of his biologists. Now, a homeowner in New Jersey has received 36 stitches on his face.” said NJOA Vice President Cody McLaughlin, “Since there has, as of yet, been no press release from state Department of Environmental Protection regarding the incident, the public does not have much information. What we DO know, though, is that a home owner received 36 stitches in his face from a so-called ‘encounter’ with a black bear in his garage when he returned home from walking his dog. 4 days later, on July 30, a fox ‘attacked’ an 8-year-old girl causing her to be taken to a hospital for treatment. When is an attack not an attack? According to Governor Murphy, its when the ‘encounter’ is with a Black Bear. With the court case challenging DEP’s closure of State Lands to all Bear hunting finally scheduled to start trial on September 21, 2020 It seems that the DEP is attempting to downplay anything dealing with black bear interactions in New Jersey.”

After reports of bear activity were released by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife showing a marked increase of bear complaints, DEP responded that the increase was because COVID-19 caused more people to stay at home, thus increasing the probability of seeing more black bears. What they failed to take into consideration is that the bears would have to been there all along and just not being observed.

About the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance: New Jersey Outdoor Alliance’s mission is “preservation through conservation.” NJOA serves as a grassroots coalition of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen dedicated to the conservation of natural resources and environmental stewardship that champions the intrinsic value of fishing, hunting and trapping, among opinion leaders, policy makers, and the public at-large. To learn more about the organization, please visit: https://njoutdooralliance.org/.