I just read this in a well-researched book on the Pine Barrens and man's relationship with it in the last 200 to 300 years. The book is called The Ecological Pine Barrens of New Jersey: An Ecosysytem Threatened by Fragmentation. The book just came out this past Fall, and the author is around 92 or 93. Anyway, here's what I read: "Mountain Lions or Cougars were reported to have been common in New Jersey but were hunted until exterminated throughout southern New Jersey sometime between 1830 and 1840, when the last animals were killed in Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May Counties. Gray Wolves were widespread in New Jersey, including the Pine Barrens, and, in spite of bounties, the species was still considered abundant as late as 1770. However, wolves were exterminated by the middle of the 19th century. The last records of native New Jersey wolves were in 1854 or 1855. Black Bear were common throughout New Jersey but were exterpated from southern New Jersey, including the Pine Barrens. Recent reported sightings (2003-2006) would seem to indicate that black bears might be moving back into the Pine Barrens from northwestern New Jersey." A couple years ago a black bear was photographed climbing over the fence around the elementary school ballfields in Egg Harbor City. He was also seen sitting down on the tracks of the New Jersey Transit Atlantic City rail line. The trains had to be slowed down till he got off the tracks. Just last summer one was caught on video by surveillance camera, at a house literally just around the corner from here, on the street that intersects with the north end of our street. The news story is still on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdl-Bpa_1bM Barry --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org
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