Since 2010, Friends of Animals has railed against New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the black bear trophy hunt he created to cash in on campaign promises to the NRA and other pro-hunting groups like the New Jersey Outdoors Alliance, who rallied for his election. Through protests outside his office and social media campaigns to pressure officials and educate our supporters about the dishonesty of the hunt, we held his feet to the fire. 

As the despicable firearms portion of the 2017 bear hunt looms, we have a cheer for Democrat Phil Murphy, who was elected governor of New Jersey last night defeating Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, the Republican candidate, because he has promised to stop the bear-hating propaganda and the bloodshed in 2018. On Dec. 7, 2016, Murphy wrote this message on Facebook:

“Like he has on so many issues, Governor Christie acted unilaterally to expand the bear hunt without local input or evidence that it is effective at controlling the bear population. My first concern will always be for public safety, but before authorizing another hunt we need a fuller understanding and proof it works better than non-lethal options in the state’s long-term bear management policies. As governor, I would institute a moratorium on the state’s bear hunt.”

We look forward to working with him and ensuring he keeps his commitment.