Disgusted by bear killing

To the Editor: After watching the 11 o’clock news tonight, I feel strongly compelled to voice my opinion of the bear hunt in Essex County. From the moment I saw the news reports of a shaken, terrified bear, which had the misfortune of wandering into a busy city, I was horrified — not for the people, but for the bear. I thought for sure that the 300-pound bear would be tranquilized and relocated. Instead, I was disgusted by the obvious “witch hunt” that took place. Where were the protective agencies for the bear when he was being relentlessly pursued and inevitably cornered? Is it such a stretch to think that upon being cornered, the bear would become defensive? Were the school children really in danger? My daughter has played in our yard within 100 feet of a 400-pound black bear, who somehow managed to contain his supposed disposition to be fierce and paid her no mind as he simply walked by and into the woods. Where did these police officers or sheriff’s officers expect the bear to go? Perhaps he should have caught a N.J. Transit train back to Sussex County. The bear was far more terrified than the people of Newark. One who lives in a city with a crime rate as high as Irvington has a much better chance of being killed by a stray bullet than by a defenseless black bear who had the unfortunate luck to wander into it. Trish Ferris Green