Viewer Video of Bear Spotted In Shamong, NJ

One day after a bear was cornered and shot with a tranquilizer gun outside an office complex in Parsippany, another bear was captured on video roaming through the backyards of homes on Attison Road in Shamong, N.J. Saturday morning.

This is the third time in the last two weeks that a black bear was spotted in the southern part of the Garden State. Previous sightings occurred in Waterford Township, in Camden County, and in Medford Township, in Burlington County.  It is not clear if the same bear was seen all three times

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Fish & Wildlife Division estimates that around 3,500 black bears live in the northwestern part of the state, where sightings are most common. There is no current statewide black bear population estimate.

The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife offers these bear safety tips:

• Never feed or approach a bear
• Remain calm if you encounter a bear
• Make the bear aware of your presence by making noise
• Make sure the bear has an escape route
• If a bear enters your home, provide it with an escape route by propping all doors open
• Avoid direct eye contact and never run from a bear, instead slowly back away
• To scare the bear away make loud noises and make yourself look bigger by waving your arms
• The bear may utter a series of huffs, make snapping sounds with its jaw or swat the ground, these are signs you're too close and should slowly back away
• If the bear stands on its hind legs or moves closer it may be trying to get a better view or detect scents in the air, it's usually not a threatening behavior
• Black bear attacks are extremely rare, if a black bear does attack, fight back
• Report black bear sightings to DEP's 24-hour hotline, 1-877-927-6337

Leave Comments