Black Bear Takes A Swim In Lawrenceville Resident's Pool

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — A black bear that was spotted in Lawrenceville on Sunday needed some cooling off. The bear, which was seen on Surrey Drive earlier in the day, was spotted in several neighborhoods. At one point, it must have gotten too hot for the bear, who took a swim in a resident's pool.

"3 houses over from us here in Lawrenceville," a resident posted on Facebook, along with the video. "Cool!" A video of the bear taking a swim can be seen below.

A black bear was also seen in Princeton on Monday. Police provided the following tips for dealing with a black bear safely:

• Do not feed or approach the bear;
• Remain calm, and make the bear aware of your presence by speaking in a calm, assertive voice;
• Make sure the bear has an escape route;
• Yell, bang pots and pans and use an airhorn to scare the bear away. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms, and if you are with someone else, stand close together and wave your hands over your heads;
• The bear will warn you that you are too close by making a series of huffs, popping sounds and by snapping its jaws and swatting the ground. In this case, you should slowly back away and avoid making direct eye contact. Don’t run;
• If a bear stands on its hind legs and 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 bears will sometime bluff that it will charge if it is cornered, threatened or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground, avoid direct eye contact and slowly back away. Don’t run; and
• If the bear doesn’t leave, head for nearby shelter. Black bear attacks are extremely rare, but if a bear does attack, you should fight back.

Residents who encounter an aggressive bear should call local police or the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Division of Fish and Wildlife at 1-877-WARN DEP.

Patch file photo