By Matt Rooney
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The Internet got a real kick out of the footage from Sussex County’s Frankford Township of two large male black bears beating the tar out of one another in a homeowner’s yard. The guy who videotaped it told NJ.com he thought the males were fighting over a female.
Check it out:
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Fascinating viewing, for sure, but there’s a dark truth behind the Discovery Channel-esque footage.
Governor Phil Murphy canceled the annual statewide black bear hunt on state lands last August, one which was designed to prevent the black bear population from reaching dangerous levels for humans and property but which fell victim to base emotionalism and a far-left environmentalist misinformation machine. Bears and other woodland creatures clearly don’t appreciate or respect the distinction between state land and private property. Without a hunt, New Jerseyans will see more black bears creeping into their yards and through their trash cans in the weeks and months to come.
The hunt undeniably helped keep dangerous encounters from spiraling. There were over 2,000 damage and nuisance incidents in 2010, when Christie restored the hunt, according to the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife. In 2018? When Murphy decided to end it? 700.
We know mathematics isn’t Governor Murphy’s strong suit.
Until we have a governor who gets it? Keep your head on a swivel as the weather warms.
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MATT ROONEY is a practicing New Jersey attorney, regular panelist on ‘Chasing News’ with Bill Spadea, and the founder and blogger-in-chief of Save Jersey.
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