The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
December 13,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ, Bear was sighted in the area of Diamond Brook/lower Doremus Avenue around 11am. It did not appear aggressive to the person that reported it to the police. Police checked the entire area, and was unable to locate the animal. All schools were notified. If anymore sighting, please call the police immediately to report its location.
Glen Rock Police Department
1 Harding Plaza
Glen Rock, NJ 07452
Ramapo State Forest closed for second week after reports of aggressive bear
OCTOBER 13, 2015, 8:04 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2015, 8:06 PM
BY JAMES M. O’NEILL
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The state has decided to keep Ramapo Mountain State Forest closed for a second consecutive week in what officials are calling an abundance of caution after a series of encounters between hikers and an aggressive bear in recent weeks.
Traps remain in place throughout the park that the state Department of Environmental Protection set to immobilize bears. One of those traps captured a black bear on Oct. 5, which the DEP then killed.
“We don’t know if it’s the right bear,” said DEP spokesman Bob Considine. “We do know that we had three accounts of a potentially aggressive bear following three different sets of hikers in two weeks and the bear that was caught was acting aggressively after the capture.”
Councilman Sendon could not be reached for comment
The state Fish and Game Council Tuesday voted to expand the bear-hunting season, a controversial decision that wildlife officials say is nonetheless warranted to control populations in a state home to some of the largest concentrations of the animals in the country. (Paul Milo, NJ.com) https://www.nj.com/news/index.
Bear Sighting
The Ridgewood Police Department (RPD) has chased a bear up a tree on Highland Avenue. RPD is working with the NJ Department of Fish and Wildlife to handle this situation appropriately.
The current approach is to continue to station officers with the bear until nighttime when we will wait for the bear to descend from the tree. We have decided to wait until nighttime as the area is abuzz with barbecues and activity and do not want this to be disrupted. We will have an RPD unit monitor the bear’s location as best as possible going forward.
To resolve this incident, the most important thing residents in the area can do is not to have garbage out (this bear was in our community to eat) and to take bird feeders in.
Going forward as a community we need collectively to take measures to discourage bears from wandering into Ridgewood. It is really imperative that garbage is secured – rifling through the garbage to find food is the primary reason that bears come into residential neighborhoods. The existence of bird feeders is also a problem and attracts wildlife such as bears. More information on bears and what residents can do can be found at the NJ Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website – www.njfishandwildlife.com.
Best regards,
Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203
-PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS-
MAY 7, 2015, 9:45 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015, 9:51 PM
BY MARINA VILLENEUVE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
After five years of an annual bear hunt in December, North Jersey still has one of the nation’s densest black bear populations, and state wildlife experts say encounters between man and bear are now occurring more frequently outside of what is commonly bear country.
As a result, the state is considering an expansion of the hunt, in October, starting next year.
The typically solitary, benign creatures are adaptable and can live close to human developments. When bears turn about one year old, they venture out in search of their own territory, said state Department of Environmental Projection spokesperson Larry Hajna.
“What we have in Northwest New Jersey is a situation where we have a very productive bear population, and limited habitat,” he said. Hajna estimated the area has two or three bears per square mile — not much “elbow room for foraging a habitat, finding a mate.”
This time of year, bears emerge from winter dens and seek to mate, sometimes roaming for miles. Police in Allendale, Saddle River and Ramsey say they have received multiple reports of sightings in the past few days.
About 3,500 black bears live in North Jersey, according to the DEP, about the same as when the hunt began in 2010.
April 21,2015
Ridgewood NJ, We have received a few reports of random daytime sightings of raccoons. We have no reason to believe they are rabid. Usually raccoons are nocturnal but during this time of the year they are breeding and are often looking for food or drink for themselves and their babies from dumpsters, garbage cans, pools or other water sources.
Tyco, our Animal Control expert, suggests that there should only be concerns if an animal looks like they are drunk or intoxicated; if they are lying around and not responding to loud noises; attack inanimate objects (trees/rocks); or other types of weird behavior. In these cases you are encouraged to call the Police Department who will contact the animal control service.
We recommend that you do not feed feral animals or leave food out or stagnant water for them.
Big Foot https://theridgewoodblog.net/ridgewood-blog-to-promote-night-out-for-big-foot-for-earth-day/
Coyote https://theridgewoodblog.net/coyote-advocate-defends-the-predators-presence-in-suburbia/
Bears https://theridgewoodblog.net/in-ridgewood-we-wrestle-bears-we-dont-hunt-them/
photo from Ridgewood Police
April 13,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. , Ridgewood Police with the help of Fish and wildlife officials tranquilized a bear found roaming through the Village in a sign that bear-sighting season is here.
Chief John M. Ward ,”I would like to thank Bergen County, Glen Rock and Ho Ho Kus Police Departments, TYCO animal control and NJ Fish & Game for their assistance in the tracking, containment and capture of the bear. Additionally I would like to thank Ridgewood Fire, Emergency Services, and OEM for their valuable assistance with notification of the public and helping to secure the perimeter, area sports fields and schools during the incident.
Finally I would like to thank our residents for their cooperation and understanding which allowed us to deal with the situation as quickly and safely as possible. “
Authorities speculate that the 175-pound male black bear that was seen Saturday morning in Ridgewood,may have been the same one seen in Hawthorne Friday night.
Experts tell The Bergen Record that bear sightings pick up at this time of year as the bruins emerge from hibernating to look for food. Males can roam as far as 50 miles from their dens.
Bears have been seen all around New Jersey but sightings have been mainly concentrated in the northwest part of the state.
New Jersey hosts a state-sanctioned bear hunt that has killed about 1,900 bears since 2010 and the state has proposed expanding the hunt in coming years.
file photo provided by Dom Nizza
April 11,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report that a black bear that was previously on the loose has been contained to a tree on Kensington Road. Tyco animal control is on scene and awaiting the arrival of the New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The 175 pound black bear on Kensington has been tranquillized and removed by New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Several residents reported receiving Robo call bear warnings earlier in the day including Dom Nizza ,” Just received a robo police phone call a wild bear is roaming the Village ”
Former Mayor Kieth Killion told the blog he was no longer working with the international bear wrestling association , and needed to speak to his son .Councilmen Mike Sedon could not be reached for comment .
Ridgewood councilman calls his bear remark ‘insensitive’
JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Councilman Mike Sedon publicly apologized this week for recent comments he made in an email to an animal-rights activist, admitting Wednesday night that his response was “insensitive.”
Sedon became an online target last week for animal-rights advocates who oppose the state’s annual black bear hunt when his response to an email from Susan Kehoe was shared on social media sites.
Kehoe’s email contained a graphic image of three dead bear cubs with a narrative alleging the picture was taken during the most recent hunt in New Jersey.
Through his council email, Sedon, a hunter, wrote back to Kehoe, a staunch opponent of the bear hunt, that “younger bears taste better than older, larger bears.”
https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-councilman-calls-his-bear-remark-insensitive-1.1189381
Readers say motivation in writing this story is questionable.
Lets see who wrote the story. Harris the Mayors press officer. Well Mike this will be used against you at some later date at a council meet when you disagree with Mayor. Just wait for it.
Memo from Mayor to Mike. Next time you say something to the press run it by White Horse Strategist first.
The reporter’s reputation for considering himself a buddy of the mayor makes his motivation in writing this story questionable.
Recent Ridgewood Ridgewood School Bear , sound a sleep after tranquilized
New Jersey bear hunt fueled by emotion over mauling death
By Frank McGurty
WEST MILFORD, N.J. (Reuters) – New Jersey’s annual black bear hunt is stirring up even more emotion than usual this year after the mauling of a student by a 300-pound male bruin and controversy over how much humans may be responsible for the fatal encounter.
For opponents of the six-day hunt that starts Monday, the September death of Darsh Patel could not have come at a worse time, since the state is considering expanding hunting as part of a new five-year bear management plan.
Hunters say the mauling of the 22-year-old Rutgers University student was an extreme consequence of allowing black bears to encroach on populated areas by failing to cull their numbers.
“Animal rights activists have been calling bears ‘the dolphins of the forest’ … but things like this can happen,” said New Jersey Outdoor Alliance Chairman Anthony Mauro.
“I think that is why the attack may have been good, to help sober up people a little bit,” he said.
The attack on Patel while he was hiking in New Jersey’s Apshawa Preserve, some 30 miles west of New York’s bustling Times Square, marked the first fatal mauling ever recorded in the state. It came during a year when sightings and complaints about bears have jumped, despite their reduced numbers, in the northwest corner of New Jersey.
The state determined that the mauling was a rare case of predatory behavior by a male black bear, which, unlike the more aggressive grizzly of the western U.S. states, tends to be shy and avoid conflict with humans.
In North America, only 63 people have been reported killed in black bear attacks from 1900 to 2009, according to a study led by University of Calgary professor Stephen Herrero.
Opponents say bears in New Jersey have gravitated to populated areas in part because hunters are allowed to use bait, conditioning the animals to seek out garbage, barbecue grills and even kitchen pantries.
At the same time, there are no state requirements that New Jersey residents use bear-resistant garbage containers.
“Hunting does not solve any problems; it creates new ones,” said Susan Russell, wildlife policy director at the Animal Protection League. “Residents and public safety are far better served by removing attractants and learning how to behave in the presence of bears.”
https://news.yahoo.com/jersey-bear-hunt-fueled-emotion-over-mauling-death-164044394.html
Ridgewood Police : Be a Good Neighbor – Be Bear Aware
New Jersey is home to all kinds of beautiful wildlife –including black bears.
Black bears are getting a lot of attention these days, for the wrong reasons.
They’re venturing too close to homes and into backyards, looking for food. Bears that look for food
near your home or in your yard likely have learned bad habits from people who feed them intentionally, or
unintentionally by carelessly leaving out food or garbage
People who feed bears think they’re helping them. But it only invites trouble. It can make them a nuisance or
even aggressive. When that happens, the bears must be destroyed to protect your family and your neighbors.
What’s more, it’s illegal to feed bears in New Jersey. Anyone who feeds bears could face a penalty of up to
$1,000 for each offense.
Taking steps to avoid attracting bears with food or garbage is the best way to prevent them from becoming a
nuisance near your home.
Here’s what you can do to Be a Good Neighbor – Be Bear Aware:
• Use bear-proof garbage containers, if possible. They offer the best protection. Otherwise, store all garbage
in containers with tight-fitting lids and place them along the inside walls of your garage, or in the basement,
a sturdy shed or other secure area.
• Put out garbage on collection day, not the night before.
• Wash garbage containers with disinfectant solution at least once a week to remove odors. Draping rags
soaked in bleach over your garbage bags also help to eliminate odors.
• Feed dogs and cats outside during daylight hours only. Immediately after feeding pets, remove all uneaten
food and scraps as well as food bowls.
• Clean outdoor grills thoroughly after each use. Grease and food residue will attract bears.
• Do not place meat or any sweet foods in compost piles.
• Feed birds only between December 1 and April 1 when bears are least active. Suspend birdfeeders from a
free-hanging wire, making sure the bottom of the feeder is at least 10 feet off the ground. Clean up spilled
seeds and shells.
• Pick up any fruit that falls from fruit trees daily, and discard it in garbage containers with tight-fitting lids.
• Consider installing electric fencing to protect crops, beehives and small livestock, if you live in an area with
a large black bear population.
• Report black bear damage or nuisance behavior to your local police department or the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife at (908) 735-8793.
• Visit www.njfishandwildlife.com for more information on black bears.
Remember, if you care about New Jersey’s bears, don’t feed them
file photo Ridge School bear
West Milford police release new details about aftermath of deadly bear attack
OCTOBER 6, 2014, 4:45 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014, 6:52 PM
BY MINJAE PARK
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
As West Milford police searched for the victim of the fatal bear attack on Sept. 21, they tried calling him and contacted his cell phone carrier about conducting a trace, information newly released by the West Milford clerk reveals.
The victim, Darsh Patel, a 22-year-old Rutgers student, had been missing after he and four friends with whom he was hiking separated while fleeing a black bear at the Apshawa Preserve.
Previously redacted portions of police incident reports offer new details on law enforcement’s search for Patel’s body and the disconsolation of Patel’s parents as they heard his body was found.
The Record obtained the incident reports on Sept. 25, but they were redacted because of the ongoing police investigation into the incident, Township Clerk Antoinette Battaglia said at the time. Some parts can now be disclosed because the information has been verified, Battaglia said.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/west-milford-police-release-new-details-about-aftermath-of-deadly-bear-attack-1.1103630#sthash.X3TxzJU0.dpuf
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
Hikers undeterred but locals unnerved by fatal West Milford bear attack
SEPTEMBER 26, 2014, 6:53 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014, 6:56 PM
BY ALLISON PRIES
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Hikers were undeterred Friday, but people who live in bear country were unnerved by a fatal black bear attack earlier this week near a West Milford hiking trail.
Darsh Patel, 22, a Rutgers University student from Edison, was found dead by police in the 576-acre Apshawa Preserve after he and four friends ran from a 4-year-old, 300 pound black bear that was trailing them. Patel’s body was found with bite and claw marks on it. Authorities, who searched two hours for Patel, shot and killed a bear that was found near his body acting aggressively.
“They’re normally so docile,” said Suzie Struble, who has lived across from the Northwood Drive entrance to the Apshawa Preserve for five years. “If you live in West Milford you just know – there are bear here.”
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/hikers-undeterred-but-locals-unnerved-by-fatal-west-milford-bear-attack-1.1097352#sthash.6MtmVJM4.dpuf