By STEVEN VIERA
Staff Writer
A bear was reported wandering through the Colonia and Iselin sections of Woodbridge Township earlier today.
“It appears to be a cub,” John Hagerty, a spokesman for Mayor John McCormac, said. According to Hagerty, the Woodbridge Police Department began receiving reports of a bear around 8:30 a.m. Because the bear did not seem aggressive or present a threat, the police did not have the authority to engage the bear to either capture or kill it.
“It falls to the authority of the New Jersey [Division of Fish and Wildlife]. We are continuing to monitor the cub. We will do everything we can to protect public safety, but at this time, the bear cub is not presenting any immediate threat,” he said.
Larry Hajna, a spokesman with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, said that members of the Division of Fish and Wildlife would be dispatched to tranquilize and relocate the bear. He said the police in Woodbridge would have the ability to take action against the bear in the event of imminent danger or an emergency, but he added that since the bear does not appear to be threatening at this time, the officers are doing the right thing by monitoring the situation and waiting for the Division of Fish and Wildlife to arrive.
Hajna also explained why a bear would appear in such a developed, populated area like Woodbridge.
“From time to time, we have reports of urban bears,” he said. “They tend to be yearlings or young males that are looking for territory and the generally follow streams or wooded corridors, and all of the sudden they find themselves with their backs against the wall, so to speak, in a cul-de-sac or urban area with nowhere else to go. In general, we like to see the bear be given an opportunity to find its way into wooded areas, but obviously, there’s a point where that’s just not possible.”
Hajna was not aware of a bear seen by residents in a residential section of the Kingston section of South Brunswick on Saturday.
Hajna recommended that residents stay away from any bear and said that for more information on bears and bear safety, they can visit the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s website at www.fishandwildlife.com.