Bear Sightings Are On The Rise, Mendham Police Issue Warning

MENDHAM, NJ — As the weather gets warmer, black bears in New Jersey are waking up from their hibernation and looking for food.

The Mendham Township Police Department has provided some important tips for being "bear aware" if you come across one on any of the township's trails or in your own backyard.

"Bears are out and about in our township. Trust us they don’t want to hang out with you any more than you want to hang out with them and almost all encounters are harmless unless they are provoked," police said.

This year, there have been numerous confirmed bear sightings across the Garden State. These include sightings in Summit, Paramus, Middletown, Holmdel and Westfield.

According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Management, black bears are usually timid and not aggressive toward humans. However, when scavenging from trash cans and visiting bird feeders, beehives, chicken coops, rabbit hutches and compost piles in search of food, black bears can be destructive.

Police would like to remind the public to become “bear aware” by:

• Removing bird feeders by early April and waiting until early November to put them back up.
• Refraining from feeding pets outside, or if you do, taking pet food dishes inside at night.
• Storing birdseed, livestock feed, and garbage in buildings.
• Taking the garbage out for pickup on the morning of collection – not the night before.
• Cleaning all outdoor grills thoroughly after each use.
• Picking up any fruit that falls from trees daily.

If you come across a bear, police advise you not to panic and run. Bears are rarely aggressive to humans and will frequently leave on their own. Food sources and other sources of attraction should be removed from the yard once the bear has left.

If you see a bear, notify the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The Fish and Wildlife Department is developing an integrated bear management strategy to educate people on how to coexist with bears safely.