No more reports of bears killing sheep in Hopewell Township

Two separate incidents — one on May 3 and the other on May 7 — resulted in the killing of three sheep and injury to a fourth, a lamb, that suffered a broken leg.

By Ruth Luse
   Adela Ferrette hopes the sheep killings that took place recently on her property at 321 Pennington-Harbourton Road will be the last.
   Two separate incidents — one on May 3 and the other on May 7 — resulted in the killing of three sheep and injury to a fourth, a lamb, that suffered a broken leg. The lamb’s leg is in a splint and the Ferrettes are watching it closely, Ms. Ferrette said Wednesday.
   Bob English, deputy animal control officer for Hopewell Township, said May 8 that it appeared the lamb might have been running from the bear and hit a fence, thus breaking the leg.
   Nothing further has happened since May 7, but there is a "huge bear trap that looks like a culvert" on their property now, said Ms. Ferrette. It’s been there six days.
   "We’re downsizing … so we can keep a better watch on the property," Ms. Ferrette said. "We took five sheep to market yesterday (Tuesday).
   Last week’s incidents were not the first. In spring 2001, three sheep were killed. Last year, there were no killings. After the most recent incidents were made public, Ms. Ferrette said, a Pennington-Harbourton Road neighbor called her to report that three sheep had been killed on her property, but that a coyote was the suspect in that case. Ms. Ferrette said about five years ago, they had problems with coyotes.
   Why do these killings seem to come at this time of year? Ms. Ferrette said the bears awakened from their winter hibernation about six weeks ago. Since they are hungry and the berries aren’t out yet, they will go for other things, like the sheep. Even with 4-foot double fencing the bears can get onto the property. The fencing on the Ferrette property was not disturbed, so the culprit had to have jumped over the fencing.
   Ms. Ferrette said sheep are easy to get at, because they live in three-sided structures. "They must have air. You can’t lock them up," she said.
   Hopewell Township Police Chief Michael Chipowsky said May 8 that N.J. Fish and Game had confirmed that the sheep were killed by a bear. No bear actually was seen, but bear tracks were found.
   The weekend incident was reported May 5, after the Ms. Ferrette and her husband, Joel, had returned from a trip to Egypt, where they were visiting their daughter.
   During their absence, their son, Scott Ferrette, who lives at the Jersey Shore, was coming up to Hopewell Township regularly to keep an eye on the property. He was the one who discovered the initial killings. What he witnessed May 3 was not pleasant, his mother said. A ewe was literally pulled apart. "Thank God it wasn’t a small child," Ms. Ferrette said.
   Chief Chipowsky said there had been no reports of bears being aggressive toward people, but urged the public to exercise caution in wooded areas.
   If one sees a bear, what should one do? "Go the other way," said Chief Chipowsky.