Bergen County Zoo program shares insights on bears in N.J.
OCTOBER 5, 2014, 3:04 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2014, 7:19 PM
BY ANDREW WYRICH
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
PARAMUS — Waving your arms up and down, banging a can of nails or loudly ringing bells are the most effective ways to handle a possible encounter with a bear, a guest speaker from a New Jersey bear education group that teamed up with the Bergen County Zoo to host a “Bear Aware” event said Sunday.
The daylong event was aimed at educating both adults and children about the black bear population in New Jersey — something that has become increasingly important after a string of bear sightings in Bergen County and the death of a Rutgers student in West Milford, organizers said.
Held in the Education and Discovery Center at the Bergen County Zoo, the “Bear Aware” event was planned months in advance of the recent bear-related incidents, but organizers said teaching the public about the characteristics of the animals and what to do when encountered by one is always worthwhile.
“There has been a rise in bear sightings in our area over the last five years,” said Carol Fusco, the education coordinator at Bergen County Zoo and an event organizer. “It used to be that you’d only see bears in a few counties in the state, but now it’s safe to say that every county has had sightings. We feel that education, both for adults and children, is key.”
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen-county-zoo-program-shares-insights-on-bears-in-n-j-1.1102957#sthash.fikETcSz.dpuf
How can we attract bears to the Valley property ? PB & J smears all over their walls and honey dripping from their roof ? Pooh bear Audrey must love bears !