Black Bear Spotted 'Meandering' Around Town

Animal control officers are on watch for a black bear that has been making its way around Wyckoff and neighboring towns.

Police have responded at least twice recently to calls reporting a black bear in residential neighborhoods. The same bear, estimated at 300 pounds, also has been seen in Waldwick, Midland Park and Franklin Lakes, police and animal control officers said.

"He's meandering around," said Carol Tyler of Tyco Animal Control Services, which provides service to Wyckoff and several surrounding towns.

According to police dispatch communications, a bear was sighted the evening of March 30 on Cresthaven Road, near the township's border with Franklin Lakes. Neighboring police arrived to provide mutual aid, but the authorities lost the bruin after trying to follow him for more than an hour.

What is believed to be the same bear was seen around noon Saturday at Vance Avenue and Mabel Place, although the bruin also made his way down the street to Miller Road, where it was spotted in a tree. Police and Tyco representatives responded, although their options were limited.

"There's literally nothing to do," said police Chief Benjamin Fox. The chief said that his department will call Tyco as a "matter of course" whenever there is a bear sighting, but that officers can't move to trap or otherwise impact the bear if it hasn't been aggressive.

However, "if a bear becomes aggressive or vicious, police have the authority to intercede," Tyler said.

Thus far, the black bear hasn't threatened anyone or caused much damage, save for a birdfeeder on Miller Road, Fox said. Both he and Tyler said the bear was unlikely to have much interest in the unfamiliar surroundings past any food it may be able to scavenge from such feeders or garbage cans.

In the two recent incidents, Tyler said Tyco representatives used noisemakers to try to roust the bear from the neighborhood. "We like to keep them moving," she said. "We'd like him to head back to the Ramapo Mountains."

It is unknown where the bear may have wandered in from, as it has never been tagged by wildlife officials, Tyler said. But Fox said it's "not completely unusual anymore" to see the large bruins in Wyckoff, although it's a bit more common for residents of northwestern Jersey.

"It's a wild animal in its natural environment," the chief said. "We get it several times a year."

Black bear sightings have been increasing sharply within the past few years, according to the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife. Reports of black bears in residential neighborhoods more than doubled from 2006 to 2009, with 3,000 calls in 2009, including 833 sightings. More than 100 bears have been euthanized during that period.

Coincidentally or not, the last bear hunt in New Jersey was in 2005. A six-day hunt was approved earlier this year by the Department of Environmental Protection and is slated to take place in December.

Tyler said Tyco stays in contact with the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife, which could trap and relocate a bear under certain circumstances. Only under the most extreme situations, such as when a bear has become aggressive with a human, will it be put down by wildlife officials.

Although such a large animal can be a fearsome sight, Fox and Tyler said most bruins have little interest in humans and will move along once a food source dries up. Both emphasized that residents can take preventative measures, such as taking in birdfeeders, making sure not to leave food outside and investing in bear-resistant garbage cans, or at least making sure lids are secured.

"They're here today, gone tomorrow," Fox said.