Nearly 50K sign petition to save 'Pedals,' the injured walking bear

Petition asks the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife to allow the bear to be relocated to a facility in Otisville, N.Y. Watch video

JEFFERSON -- More than 48,000 people have signed a Care2 petition as of Thursday morning demanding state Fish and Wildlife officials allow the relocation of "Pedals," the injured bear who has been seen walking upright through neighborhoods due to injuries to his front paws for over a year.

The petition asks the state Division of Fish and Wildlife to allow the bear to be captured and relocated to The Orphaned Wildlife Center, a wildlife sanctuary in Otisville, NY. that has offered to take in the bear and rehabilitate him.

Care2 petition author Lisa Rose-Rublack, of Bloomingdale, said she started the petition because she's been aware of the bear since he was first spotted in August 2014. An animal advocate, she often volunteers at local animal shelters and rescue organizations.

"We've been watching him suffer for over a year," Rose-Rublack said. "Last year, his suffering was questionable. This year, it's clear. So now we're at a standstill."

Sabrina Walsh Pugsley, who started a GoFundMe page to help relocate the bear that has raised nearly $22,000, said she's waiting to hear from New Jersey wildlife officials. She said New Jersey wildlife officials have had dialogue with the New York facility.

Pugsley said the non-profit facility in New York has offered to take in the bear, with the permission from New Jersey wildlife officials, and build an enclosure designed specifically for his needs. 

The facility would provide a natural setting with a door for him to walk through, a pond and it would abut an enclosure with other bears, she said. The facility currently has 14 adult bears, she said.

Because the facility is a non-profit, Pugsley said, it needs money to build the enclosure, which spurred her to start the GoFundMe page. The facility told her it'll need between $15,000 to $18,000 to build the enclosure.

Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the New Jersey Environmental Protections Agency's Division of Fish and Wildlife, has said the division's biologists believe it's in the bear's best interest to let it along. He said the agency will monitor the bear.

The Orphaned Wildlife Center said on its Facebook page that it believes the bear needs help.

We are humbled and deeply moved by the compassion that so many are showing for Pedals. The goal has been reached....