hot off the presses!
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/authorities_search_for_bear_th.html
Authorities search for bear that charged at hiker, mauled dog in Ringwood park
RINGWOOD — New Jersey wildlife authorities are setting traps today to catch a female bear responsible for knocking down a West Milford man and seriously mauling his dog on a Ringwood State Park hiking trail Thursday morning.
The incident unfolded at about 9:30 a.m. on a trial at the west end of the 4,044-acre state park while the man, who was not identified by authorities, was walking his dog, said Pat Carr, a supervising biologist for the state Division of Fish and Wildlife.
"We don’t have any explanation now why they got into this interaction. We have reports of bears using that trail. There may be berries ripening along that trial. This female has been seen there before," he said.
Carr said reports gathered by State Park Police and his staff indicate the hiker and bear confronted each other while the hiker was walking down the trail. The bear suddenly charged, knocking the man over.
"The man kicked the bear off him. The dog got involved and the bear mauled the dog," he added.
The hiker was not seriously injured. Authorities said he suffered scratches and bruises, but that the bear did not appear to have inflicted any wound with its claws or teeth. The dog, however, had to be treated at a veterinary hospital. The dog is expected to recover.
The bear has been identified as a female with three cubs that had been seen in the area in recent weeks and is known to biologists, who regularly trap, tag and monitor bears in the state. The state has placed traps in the area and plans to euthanize the bear if it is caught because it attacked a human, Carr explained.
Carr said the cubs are "cubs of the year," which means they were born in January. Although an evaluation will be made to determine if they are of the proper weight and size to live on their own, he said most cubs at this point in the year are capable of surviving on their own.
New Jersey bears had no predators and cub survival rate is very high, according to reports submitted earlier this year by state biologists.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/authorities_search_for_bear_th.html
Authorities search for bear that charged at hiker, mauled dog in Ringwood park
RINGWOOD — New Jersey wildlife authorities are setting traps today to catch a female bear responsible for knocking down a West Milford man and seriously mauling his dog on a Ringwood State Park hiking trail Thursday morning.
The incident unfolded at about 9:30 a.m. on a trial at the west end of the 4,044-acre state park while the man, who was not identified by authorities, was walking his dog, said Pat Carr, a supervising biologist for the state Division of Fish and Wildlife.
"We don’t have any explanation now why they got into this interaction. We have reports of bears using that trail. There may be berries ripening along that trial. This female has been seen there before," he said.
Carr said reports gathered by State Park Police and his staff indicate the hiker and bear confronted each other while the hiker was walking down the trail. The bear suddenly charged, knocking the man over.
"The man kicked the bear off him. The dog got involved and the bear mauled the dog," he added.
The hiker was not seriously injured. Authorities said he suffered scratches and bruises, but that the bear did not appear to have inflicted any wound with its claws or teeth. The dog, however, had to be treated at a veterinary hospital. The dog is expected to recover.
The bear has been identified as a female with three cubs that had been seen in the area in recent weeks and is known to biologists, who regularly trap, tag and monitor bears in the state. The state has placed traps in the area and plans to euthanize the bear if it is caught because it attacked a human, Carr explained.
Carr said the cubs are "cubs of the year," which means they were born in January. Although an evaluation will be made to determine if they are of the proper weight and size to live on their own, he said most cubs at this point in the year are capable of surviving on their own.
New Jersey bears had no predators and cub survival rate is very high, according to reports submitted earlier this year by state biologists.
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