Woman charged after entering bear trap
8/23/2004, 10:01 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

VERNON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — An animal rights activist protesting the state's bear control methods locked herself into a bear trap Monday before being arrested.

Angela Metler, 47, of the Highland Lakes section of Vernon, was charged with obstruction of governmental functions and additional charges against her are pending, authorities said.

"Once she entered the trap, she locked herself with a lock to the bear trap itself, which required us to first remove the lock and then remove the lady from the bear trap," Sgt. Robert Walsh said.

Police also said they had to disassemble part of the trap to get Metler out.

Authorities responded to a private residence in the area shortly after 3 p.m. and found Metler inside the trap, although it was not immediately known how long she was inside.

The state's rebounding bear population has led to more bear encounters with people. Because of that, state wildlife officials trap bears for relocation or to euthanize ones that prove dangerous.

Last December, 328 bears were killed during a six-day hunt, the first in New Jersey in 33 years.

In July, a state game panel sanctioned a second hunt for this December, prompting opposition from Environmental Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell, who has threatened to withhold permits from hunters.

Proponents maintain the hunt is necessary to thin the bruins' numbers. But animal advocates have urged state officials to consider options other than hunting.

Metler, who is director of the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance, was a vocal opponent of last year's bear hunt. At the state game panel's July meeting, she told The Associated Press she planned to continue her opposition to a second hunt.

"I'm going to fight it with everything I've got," she said. "I'm not going away."