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Young Bear Wanders Through NJ Towns
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 2, 2010
Modified Aug 2, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 2, 2010
Modified Aug 2, 2010
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A young bear has NJ residents on alert after he (or she!) was spotted ambling through Cresskill, Tenafly, Englewood and Bergenfield yesterday. Residents told WCBS 2, "Now I'll be looking around before I get out of the car," and "I would hope they would just tranquilize it and put it somewhere else, because I don't want my kids running around with a bear loose."
Palisades Park resident Joe Kurz was able to take a few pictures of the bear. He told WABC 7, "He had no clue I was standing there. I was about three feet from him. The only thing separating us was a small fence... He's decent size, medium size. He looks like a bit of a cub. He seems like he was more hungry that anything else." Kurz added to 1010 WINS, "The bear was running through the water…then he got a garbage bag, laid down and got a little snack, then he was off on the run again."
Bear on the move
Black bears are NJ's largest land mammal and bear sightings have been more and more common in recent years. Wildlife technician Amy Schweitzer said, "He's out of place. Typically, yearlings are trying to find their own territory and they're moving and getting pushed out of other territory." Authorities will continue the search today but tell residents to call the police if they see the bear.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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