Lynda Hester D’Orio
March 26, 1999

We've all heard of the recent incident involving the tiger in Jackson that got loose and met it's untimely death. That story stuck a note with many of you who wrote to us and let us know your feelings on the subject.

A few weeks after this incident, from out the blue, I was driving on Rt. 287 and heard a report on 101.5 that a wild bear had attacked a Llama in Morris County and had to be tranquilized. I was curious what happened to the bear after that, so I called the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife and inquired about its plight. I spoke to Bob Erikson, a knowledgeable biologist who deals directly with this problem and on the afternoon of March 25th at 2:00PM, he took a few moments to speak with me about Black bears in New Jersey.

He told me he had a bear in custody as we spoke and that there had been 4 incidents of bears attacking livestock in Blairstown and in Lafayette in Sussex County. The bears involved killed a Llama, 4 goats and 11 chickens. As I spoke to Bob, he was on his way out to release a bear.

I asked him to tell me what would happen to it. Their policy is to destroy any wild bear that is caught killing an animal on sight. If the bear is not seen killing, (like the one they had in custody) they will trap it and give it one chance in case it is not a livestock killer. The bear is tagged and given a radio collar to follow its movements. It is moved from its base, 20-30 miles away and then released. They are sprayed with strong pepper spray, (which Bob related is most unpleasant for them and the handlers to inhale) and exploding shots are used to scare the bear away from them as it's released to a new habitat. These are humane efforts to give the bear a chance. Bob said bears had good memories, and these efforts are to keep it away from where it experienced trouble.

It is time consuming, expensive and dangerous to keep up this practice and has not gotten enough attention. I asked Bob if his organization or news agencies try to keep bear incidents quiet or not report them. He said quite the opposite, that his organization wanted this brought to the attention of taxpayers, who will have to come to some agreement on the bear population explosion in our densely populated state.

Bear trapping and elimination is only one area of Bob's responsibilities and it's urgent nature prevents him and his unit from doing other important work. Because the wild bear population is useful to our state's biodiversity and is an important part of our eco-system, New Jersey should protect its bear population, but we'll have to deal with controlling it humanely. There has been no active hunting for bear; it's been outlawed since 1970. Now, we have just too many and if we don't do something about it, the population can increase to double its size in 5 years.

Bears are good for the natural habitat of our state. They eat insects, bees, wasps and termites, and they also scavenge and eat dead carcasses of wildlife to prevent disease spreading. Their population will increase and problems with their proximity to people will continue and probably get worse. We need to address this and learn more about controlling their population.

I asked Bob before he left if he could tell me how people could find out more, about the black bear, and he told me he knows of an excellent videotape produced by the Pennsylvania Game Commission with great information and visuals on black bears. There is a charge for the tape. You can call the PA Game Commission at (717) 787-7015 if you want to purchase it.

I continued with my research with an article at New Jersey Fish, Game and Wildlife website at www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ and found some incredible information on wild bears in New Jersey. I have also included their posted list of what to do if by chance you encounter a wild bear. In the spring as they emerge from hibernation, the chance of a wild bear encounter is more likely. Because of this, the NJ Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife in cooperation with DEP's Division of Parks and Forestry has spent thousands of dollars in educational materials for people who are most likely to find bears in their path, campers and outdoor enthusiasts.

In 1998, there was a record number of bear encounters and sightings in northern New Jersey. It is reported that there was 892 complaints regarding black bears, a 63% increase from the previous year. There were also 36 bear "situations" that required direct attention, in 1997 there were only 12 similar situations recorded. Here's another fact from the report that really threw me: black bears made 16 home entries and created over $100,000 worth of property damage in 1998. That includes around 40 motor vehicle accidents with bears, a serious problem.

Bears will attack domestic pets like dogs, cats, rabbits, domestic birds and sheep. It is their nature to kill livestock, they are not selective, so if you see one in the wild or in your neighborhood, you must call the police or NJ division of Fish, Game and Wildlife immediately to avoid harm to people, animals, property and to the bear. There are humane ways to relocate them and this is almost always what is attempted.

This rising number of the black bear population is a sign of health of the species, which have few if any predators and the lack of natural habitat with ample food supply. I have seen photos of black bears in suburban backyards so hungry for food that they knocked down chain link fences to get to birdfeeders to devour the few ounces of seed from them. Bears have a great sense of smell and will look for food and garbage if it's in their general area, so if you live in northern New Jersey, you should be very careful about putting your garbage out right before it will be collected. If you spot one near your livestock, don't try and handle it yourself, call the police or Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife.

Below are the NJ Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife guidelines on what to do if you encounter a bear. Print them out and study them if you spend any time in the outdoors, enjoy camping or hiking or if you live in Northern New Jersey.

1.Remain calm. Most bears are easily frightened into leaving.

2.Never approach the animal and observe only from a distance. Make your presence known through clapping, talking, singing or making other sounds.

3.Make sure the bear has an escape route.

4.The bear may utter a series of huffs, snap (pop) its jaws and swat the ground. These are all warning signs that you are too close. Slowly back away.

5.If a bear stands on its hind legs, it is merely trying to get a better view rather than acting in a threatening way.

6.Black bears will sometimes "bluff charge" when cornered, threatened or attempting to obtain food. Stand your ground and slowly back away.

7.If you encounter a bear at close range, remain standing upright, avoid direct eye contact, back up slowly and speak in a calm, assertive voice.

8.If the bear will not leave, move to your car or house, if available. If not, the same rules as in number 7 apply. Remain standing upright, avoid direct eye contact, back up slowly and speak in a calm, assertive voice.

9.Never attempt to feed a bear. Bears learn very quickly. Black bears that associate food with people may become aggressive and dangerous. This may lead to personal injury, property damage and the need to euthanize problem animals.

10.Report all bear damage and repeated nuisance incidents to the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife at 908-735-8793.

For more information on black bears, send a self-addressed, stamped, business- sized envelope to:
NJ Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, P.O. Box 400, Trenton, NJ 08625-0400, Attention: Bear Country

Feedback on this article, write to author at at Wildnjlhd@aol.com.