Pedals the Bear, who gained internet fame for walking on his hind legs, is thought to be dead after photos of a bear killed on the first day of bow hunting season appear to resemble the previously injured bear.
New Jersey’s Division of Fish and Wildlife agreed that the photos are consistent with videos and other descriptions of Pedals, a bear that numerous residents saw roaming around Morris County, New Jersey, for over two years, USA Today reported. Since Pedals was never tagged and identified by state biologists, it is impossible to be certain that Pedals was the bear killed.
Pedals had severe injuries to his front paws, including a missing right paw, and a blaze of white fur on his chest, which the bear killed in the bow hunt also had.
“My neighbors are very upset about the death of our beloved bear,” Animal Protection League of New Jersey member Angi Metler told the state Senate during a hearing on Monday that was reported by USA Today. “He was not a nuisance bear.”
The news of Pedals’ death comes as bills aimed at banning the bear hunt moved forward in the New Jersey State Senate. A bill called “Pedals’ Law” was voted through committee and would require a five-year plan to develop non-lethal methods of controlling the black bear population rather than the current hunt.
Those who support the hunt are worried about the damage black bears do to local farms and the fact that bears seem to be getting increasingly aggressive about contact with people. About 1,200 complaints about bear damage and nuisance were reported to the Division of Fish and Wildlife between January and September of 2016, a 10 percent increase over last year, USA Today reported.
Even if the hunting ban gets through the state legislature, it is likely to be vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie, who reinstituted the hunt during his 2010 re-election campaign.
Northwestern New Jersey has the highest number of black bears per square mile in all of North America, the department told The New York Times.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.