Bear encounters around New Jersey increase as bears wake from hibernation

New Jersey’s black bear inhabitants has awoken from its hibernation slumber, resulting in a rise in encounters with people.

A latest video despatched to Information 12 New Jersey reveals a Black bear clinging to a phone pole at a busy Wyckoff intersection on Sunday. The ten-second clip nonetheless has the entire city speaking.

Highschool pupil Will Petrie was the one who filmed the clip whereas using within the automotive together with his mom.

“’Oh my gosh, there’s a bear.’ And my mother was like, ‘No there’s not.’ And I used to be like, ‘Look, look.’ She freaked out,” says Petrie.

However he stored his cellphone regular as they drove by and watched the bear.

“We didn’t need it to get harm as a result of it seemed prefer it couldn’t actually keep on the pole for for much longer,” Petrie says.

Bear sightings are up about 80% simply by way of April. Instances of harm or bears being too shut for consolation have greater than doubled.

New Jersey’s wildlife specialists warned about this. Earlier than hibernation, the Fish and Recreation Council authorised an emergency order for a bear hunt. However Gov. Phil Murphy ignored that order, conserving his vow to finish the black bear hunt in New Jersey.

A girl in Sussex County was attacked by a bear on Could 11 whereas checking her mail. A bear additionally attacked one other individual in Sparta again in January. And a person in Blairstown informed Information 12 {that a} bear went on a rampage in his yard in April, killing his chickens.

However Wyckoff residents don’t appear to thoughts the bear sightings.

“In no way. I imply, we’ve little youngsters, so after all, we gotta watch out,” says Wyckoff resident Joe Cestaro.

He runs a enterprise across the nook from the place the Wyckoff bear was seen. He says he thought the video was pretend.

And it wasn’t the one bear sighting the Petrie household had on Sunday. Will Petrie says his brother recorded one other video across the identical time of a bear close to a pond.

Wyckoff police say when this occurs, they simply wish to maintain individuals and the bear secure. Finally, the bear got here down from the pole and ran away. However when these encounters get violent, wildlife officers set traps, in an effort to seize and kill the bear.