The population of black bears in New Jersey has exploded — from fewer than a hundred in 1970 to some 3,300 today. These bears are not as dangerous, really, as they are a nuisance. They rip their way into backyard trash bins and lumber perilously across highways.
For the first time in three decades, New Jersey officials are allowing a special hunting season aimed at both trimming the burgeoning bear population and satisfying hunters who’ve long anticipated the big kill. It is a point of fact that while America continues to push and shove its way into nature — nature is pushing back — sometimes in unexpected places, and ways. Ironically, it’s the humans who feel cornered. Where the wild things are…and what to do about them.
Guests:
Bradley Campbell commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Benjamin Kilham, naturalist and author of “Among the Bears: Raising Orphan Cubs in the Wild”
Charles Siebert, writer and author of “Wickerby: An Urban Pastoral”