New Jersey Prepares to Open a Gruesome Black Bear Trophy Hunt

New Jersey is poised to allow trophy hunters to kill the state’s beloved black bears starting next month using barbaric methods like baiting the animals with piles of rotting sugary food. The plan would also allow hunters to chase bears off state lands, where bear hunting is not allowed, and onto private lands, just so they can be killed. Worse, it would allow the killing of baby bear cubs—a cruelty now allowed in only one other state, Alaska.

This unethical policy from the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife is highly unpopular within the state, and a Humane Society of the United States poll last year showed that a supermajority of New Jersey residents oppose it. An even stronger majority is opposed to bear baiting. But unfortunately, attempts in the state legislature to prohibit baiting bears or bear trophy hunting have not been brought up for full floor votes.

To read more on this story, click here: New Jersey Prepares to Open a Gruesome Black Bear Trophy Hunt

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A Bear Was Shot and Killed Thursday Morning After a Woman in Frederick, Maryland Was Attacked

Frederick, Maryland - A bear was shot and killed Thursday morning after a woman in Frederick, Maryland was attacked the evening before, the Department of Natural Resources confirmed.

According to officials, around 9:30 p.m. 63-year-old Karen Osborne was walking to her son-in-law's house next door to check on their dog that was barking when she was attacked by the bear on Irongate Lane, in between Baltimore National Pike and Shookstown Road. It appears the woman got in between the bear her cubs. The bear weighed 200 pounds.

"It was not a bear that was sort of laying in wait for the homeowner. The best we can tell is she went down a dark driveway with a dog. There was another dog in the driveway off leash and the sow had her cubs there and she reacted to what she believed was a threat."

Police reported, Osborne suffered a broken arm, cuts to her head, and puncture wounds to both arms.

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A Conservation Officer in Canada Has Been Put on Suspension for Heroically Saving the Lives of Two Helpless Animals His Higher-Ups Wanted Killed

A conservation officer in Canada has been put on suspension — not for violating his duty to protect wildlife, but rather for heroically saving the lives of two helpless animals his higher-ups wanted killed.

Following reports of a female black bear who had broken into a home in rural British Columbia in the company of her two young cubs, Officer Bryce Casavant and local firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Unfortunately, the responders decided to put the mother bear down, though when it came to dealing with her now-orphaned offspring, the conservation officer took a more sympathetic approach.

Defying orders to euthanize the 8-week-old bear cubs, Casavant instead collected the frightened youngsters and had them sent to local animal hospital, the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre. That simple show of kindness has now put his job in jeopardy, reports Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Meanwhile, conservation services released a statement saying that Casavant's actions are now under investigation, but supporters say the officer should be lauded, not suspended. A petition on Care.org has garnered more than 150,000 signatures calling for Casavant to be reinstated.

Given the bears' age, staff at North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre are optimistic the cubs will eventually be released back into the wild — all thanks to the sympathy shown by Casavant, who defends his actions on their behalf, telling the Vancouver Mirror:
"I think it is important for the community to know that I am here to do the right thing."

UPDATE: Officer Casavant was originally suspended without pay, but in light of the overwhelming public response to his case, he has since been placed back on they payroll, CVT News reports. He is currently still under suspension.



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Fairfax County, VA - Police Received Two Reports of Black Bear Sightings in the Vienna/Oakton Area

Fairfax County, Virginia - Police received two reports of black bear sightings in the Vienna/Oakton area between Wednesday and Thursday morning, the Fairfax County Police Department said. This follows an earlier sighting of a black bear and a cub in Vienna on Sunday, March 20. 

According to police, a black bear and a cub (possibly a yearling) were spotted in the 2700 block of Bowling Green Dr., Vienna Thursday morning. Police say a residence in the area reported the spotting. In a press release sent out Thursday police said, "The bears were reported to have taken down a bird-feeder and plastic cabinet on the resident's patio. The bears also took a bag of birdseed from the cabinet before heading into the wooded easement along Interstate-66."

On Wednesday morning police also received reports of two small black bears seen crossing Oakton Road. Police say the bears were spotted near Waples Mill Meadow, Difficult Run Stream Valley Park and Tattersall Park.

Police said in the release, "Bears typically avoid humans, but in their search for food it is not uncommon to see one. Residents should not panic or feel alarmed when they see one. Bears are attracted by bird feeders, garbage, outdoor pet food, compost piles, fruit trees, and berry-producing shrubs. If addressed quickly, situations can be resolved almost immediately by removing the food source. Sometimes, the bear may return searching for food, but after a few failed attempts to find it, will leave the property. Most often, bears will keep moving through an area once they fail in their attempts to find food."

The Fairfax County Wildlife management Specialist and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries give the following suggestions as precautions if encountered by a black bear:

• Keep a respectful distance! In most cases, the bear will move on quickly.

• If a bear is up a tree on or near your property, give it space. Do not approach, and bring your pets inside to provide the bear a clear path to leave your property.

• If you see a very small cub, do not try to remove it from the area or "save it."

• The best way to encourage the bear not to return is to remove food sources.

• Do not store household trash, or anything that smells like food, in vehicles, on porches or decks.

• Keep your full or empty trash containers secured in a garage, shed or basement.

• Take your garbage to the dump frequently.

• If you have a trash collection service, put your trash out the morning of the pickup, not the night before.

• Take down your birdfeeder for 3-4 weeks after the bear visits.

• Encourage your neighbors to take similar precautions.

• Unless the animal is sick or injured, or poses a threat to public safety, Animal Control Officers do not take actions to attempt to remove bears from a neighborhood.

Police say bear sightings should be reported to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries through the Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline at (855) 571-9003.

For more information on bear sightings and how to respond safely click HERE. 

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Chinese Man Finds What He Thinks is a Puppy in the Road…Only to Find Out Later, It’s a Bear Cub

Mr. Gao, who lives in Ban Dong Wu village in China's Chang'an District, found the tiny black bear on his way home with friends after a night out celebrating his birthday.

He decided to take it home after spotting it was being circled by a large dog. 

After spending several days looking after the bear, which is thought to be less than three months old, he has developed a strong affection for the creature, who he named ‘Xiong Da' (Big Bear). 

“I thought it was a puppy being bullied by a bigger dog, so I stopped an picked it up and put it into my car.

“When I opened the car door and my lights came on, I thought it looked more like a bear than a puppy.” He said.

It wasn’t until Mr. Gao, he realized that the animal that he had found, was  not a dog.

“I was shocked to realize I had picked up a bear, he must have been separated from its mother. I knew it couldn’t look for food so we thought we would look after it for a while.”  he, added.

What really surprised Mr. Gao at was that Xiong Da, was not afraid of his new surroundings at all - and spends his days drinking milk, eating apples and climbing trees in his home.

He even dives into the water feature in his garden for a swim.

 “After bringing it home I have been feeding it milk and apples and even sausages and sweetcorn. As long as it , he will eat it, and he is growing so fast,” said Mr. Gao.

“He likes to hold the milk bottle to drink, and loves to swim. He has a very gentle temperament and will not make any noise unless you make him angry…then it will make a growling sound.” he said.

 Although Mr Gao has developed a bond with Xiong Da after just six days, bears are a protected species in China and keeping one at home is not allowed.

He has plans on keeping the bear for a while before returning it to its natural habitat, but is worried that he may be harmed if someone catches him.

He contacted the authorities in an effort to return the bear to his home in the mountains.

Zheng Ce, an official from the Chang'an District Forestry Department, identified the creature as a black bear cub.

“This is a black bear and is a category 2 protected species, and is about two to three months old.” he said.

Mr. Zheng said that the cub will be taken to Xian Wild Animal Management Centre for medical checkups, and if found to be in good health, officials will care for the cub until it is able to fend for itself before releasing it back into the wild.

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Forest Service Warns Against #bearselfies

(CNN) -- Dear park visitors,Please don't take selfies with bears. It's stupid.
Love, the U.S Forest Service.

That pretty much sums up a warning issued recently by wildlife officials at Taylor Creek Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe, California.

"Bears are unpredictable, wild animals and may attack if threatened," Forest Supervisor Nancy Gibson said in a statement. "We can't have visitors creating dangerous situations for themselves and others. People are risking serious injury or death if they get too close to a bear."

To read more on this story, click here: Forest Service Warns Against #bearselfies


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Bears Are on the Ballot in Maine as Hunting Methods Are Debated

It has been a big year for bears in the news, especially in Maine, where voters on Nov. 4 face a question that has bedeviled other bear-heavy states: how to keep the species’ population at bay in the face of pressure from animal rights groups lobbying to ban certain hunting methods.

The campaign around the Maine Bear Hunting Ban Initiative, which will appear on the ballot as Question 1, has shed light on Maine’s unique status in the wildlife world. It remains the only state in the lower 48 where hunters may use bait, traps and dogs to nab bears.

To read more on this story, click here: Bears Are on the Ballot in Maine as Hunting Methods Are Debated

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Bears Spook Pennsylvania Weatherman During Newscast

Two truisms of television, never work with animals and you never know what to expect on live TV — combined to send a Pennsylvania weatherman fleeing for his safety as thousands of viewers watched.

Kurt Aaron, meteorologist for ABC affiliate WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pa., was seconds from delivering the weather forecast on Monday from the station’s outdoor studio when a mama bear and her three cubs wandered on set.

Viewers who tuned into the 11 p.m. broadcast expecting to find out whether to prepare for rain or sun, instead saw Aaron running inside for cover.

Aaron was forced to report a shortened weather forecast from inside the station’s control room while he and the newscast’s anchors watched and narrated for viewers the wildlife right outside their window.

“I walked out there, and I turn around and I hear the sound, and the bear’s literally 10 feet from me,” Aaron explained, once he was safely back inside the studio.   ”And I ran like I stole something.”

The crew left the bears alone as they explored the set through the rest of the evening’s newscast.  Even a high-pitched alarm, also heard on-air, did not immediately chase them from the area.

“We are located at the base of a mountain and we’ve had raccoons, skunks and all sorts of critters and creatures come through our backyard,” Carl Abraham, news director for WNEP, told ABCNews.com today.  “But I don’t recall us ever having a mother and three cubs roll on through.”

“Nobody was hurt,” Abraham said.  “It’s just one of those things. It’s just Mother Nature, so there’s not much you can do sometimes.  We don’t have any plans to change.  We’ll always do it outside.”

Abraham says WNEP in the 1970s became one of the first stations to report the weather from an outside set.  Rapid development in the area, he believes, is likely what sent the bears out of their natural habitat and to the news station.

“This was one of the rare times that we were forced, besides severe weather, to do the forecast from the inside of the building,” he said.

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Man, Distracted by Texting, Almost Walks into Bear Attack (video)

A man was texting and walking, when he looked up to see a 400-pound black bear right in front of him. The crazy scene was captured on video by California-based station KTLA 5.

The clip below shows the man, apparently shocked and scared, running as fast as he could away from the bear.

Authorities were able to subdue the bear with tranquilizers.

The animal was taken to a nearby forest and released into the wild.




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Man, Distracted by Texting, Almost Walks into Bear Attack (video)

A man was texting and walking, when he looked up to see a 400-pound black bear right in front of him. The crazy scene was captured on video by California-based station KTLA 5.

The clip below shows the man, apparently shocked and scared, running as fast as he could away from the bear.

Authorities were able to subdue the bear with tranquilizers.

The animal was taken to a nearby forest and released into the wild.

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