52,000 Sign Petition to Relocate Walking Bear, N.J. Still Reviewing Options

Pedals may not have any human friends, but he sure has a lot of supporters.

More than 52,000, actually.

The injured bear that walks around a Jefferson neighborhood on his hind legs has captured national attention, and supporters from around the world have signed a petition urging the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife to release Pedals to a wildlife sanctuary in upstate New York.

A petition created last week by Lisa Rose asks signees to add their names to the Care2 petition urging the state to let The Orphaned Wildlife Center come to New jersey, tranquilize Pedals and transport him to a newly built home at their New York facility. As of Thursday afternoon the petition had 52,653 signatures with a goal of 55,000.

See related: $15K Raised for Walking Bear to Have New Home, But Wildlife Center Still Needs N.J. Approval

In addition to the signature support, more than $22,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe campaign so the wildlife center can build the home for Pedals and safely transport him there.

As reported by Patch last week, however, the DEP believes Pedals, with one missing front paw and another permanently injured, is doing just fine in his current habitat and would be better off left alone.

See related: N.J.: No Reason to Give Injured, Upright Walking Bear to Wildlife Sanctuary

On Thursday, Oct. 15, DEP spokesman Larry Hajna said the state has still not made a decision and is waiting for its field biologists to survey Pedals in the wild.

Hajna told Patch the state is “still looking for information from the public that will help us pattern the bear’s movements so that we can make a closer condition assessment.”

Anyone who sees Pedals is asked to call the DEP hotline at 877-927-6337.