Black bears have been spotted roaming through Princeton since Thursday, including one that entered the campus of Princeton University, authorities said.
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Black bears have been spotted roaming through Princeton since Thursday, including one that entered the campus of Princeton University, authorities said.
Authorities said there were no reported injuries to humans or damage to property, during what police said is the season they get inundated with calls of bear sightings.
This is the time of the year when cubs are pushed out of the den to fend for themselves and male bears are looking for territory of their own, said Princeton animal control officer Mark Johnson on Monday.
Authorities urged the public not to approach or feed a bear and, if they come in contact with one, to make sure the animal is aware of their presence by clapping, singing or making another noise.
”Bears are generally not aggressive, but you shouldn’t invite a problem by getting too close or trying to feed it,” said Larry Hanja, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, on Monday.
Authorities said that unless the animals are causing a nuisance, they are allowing the bears to roam. They said there was no concern for school children walking home Monday, although the school district alerted parents and staff. Authorities would be allowed to use lethal force if an animal posed a public safety hazard.
Calls to authorities started coming in Thursday at 7:40 p.m. for an unconfirmed bear sighting on the 600 block of State Road. That was followed by another unconfirmed sighting, this one at 9:23 a.m. Friday on the 100 block of Ross Stevenson Circle.
For police purposes, authorities said they distinguished between confirmed sightings, either by authorities or Mr. Johnson, or unconfirmed sightings by the public.
The first confirmed sighting, observed by Princeton University authorities, was on campus Saturday around 2:35 a.m. of a “juvenile bear” in the area of Dodge Hall last seen running east.
”The juvenile black bear did not come in contact with any person nor did it present any threat,” the university said in a campus safety alert issued shortly after the sighting.
Later Saturday, a bear got in the backyard of a home on Terhune Road, later climbing a tree, authorities said. Then at 2:03 p.m., there was an unconfirmed sighting on the 900 block of Stuart Road of a mother bear and a cub.
Finally at 8:40 p.m., the same bear on Terhune made its way to Valley Road.
”It’s right near here, literally across the street” from police headquarters, police Sgt. Mike Cifelli said.
Bear activity continued Sunday, starting with a confirmed sighting at 12:51 p.m. on the 200 block of Elm Road. The latest was at 8:02 p.m., on the 100 block of Westscott Road, police said.
But then Monday afternoon, a male bear was spotted walking on Brookstone Drive, Mr. Johnson said.Mr. Hanja said Monday that bears have been found in all 21 counties in New Jersey. The heart of bear country is in the northwest section of the state, where he said an estimated 2,800 to 3,000 live. For the past three years, the state has had controlled hunts to lower the bear population by 1,348 beers in that area.