Black Bear Spotted In Princeton On Monday: Police

PRINCETON, NJ — A black bear has been seen in the area of Winant Road near the Hun School, Princeton police said Monday morning. No students were on site at the school at the time. The sighting comes a day after a black bear was spotted in Lawrence Township.

Police provided the following safety tips on what to do if you encounter a bear:

• 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.

On Sunday, a black bear was seen was seen in a few neighborhoods in Lawrenceville. It was seen on Surrey Drive. It was also seen going for a swim in a resident’s pool.

Patch file photo of a black bear