NJ: Please, help us learn more about this bipedal bear

State officials are asking residents — please, if you see the injured, bipedal bear that's been making its way around Morris County, report it to officials.

They're still not convinced the best strategy for helping the bear is to relocate it — even though nearly 60,000 people had signed a petition urging them to let the   Orphaned Wildlife Center in New York take care of "Pedals" in a special enclosure where he could roam and safely interact with other bears.

But the Division of Fish and Wildlife still wants to collect more information about the bear's condition and reassess as it goes, its parent agency, the Department of Environmental Protection, has said.

Spokesman Larry Hajna stressed in an email to New Jersey 101.5 Thursday "we need people to report sightings promptly."

"The bear seems to have a range of about 5 miles, so it has been difficult to know it’s exact whereabouts at any given time so our biologists can get a closer look," Hajna said.

Staff members of the Orphaned Wildlife Center have previously told New Jersey 101.5 it's "kind of shocking" New Jersey won't let them relocate and care for Pedals, who's been hanging around Jefferson Township for about a year.

The DEP says so far, the bear seems to be doing OK despite its injured front paws. And relocating the bear could do more harm than good, the DEP said.

"Injured wild animals should be given every opportunity to survive on their own in the wild," Hajna previously said. "This bear has survived in the wild for at least one year with its impairment without assistance from people."

Pedals became an Internet sensation last year when it was first captured walking around on two legs. Officials said soon after Pedals was injured — it was avoiding use of its front legs.

And most recently, fearing Pedals won't make it through another winter, Sabrina Walsh Pugsley started a successful fundraiser to collect enough money to have Pedals moved to the Orphaned Wildlife Center in Otisville.  Kerry Clair of the Orphaned Wildlife Center said all of the money raised — nearly $22,000 as of Thursday — will be returned to donors if her group and the DEP can't come to terms on relocating Pedals.

Clair worries pedals can't dig his own den, and is only spending so much time in a residential neighborhood because he can't manage to get food elsewhere.

Hajna has told New Jersey 101.5 Thursday Pedals is far from alone in adapting to an injury — during 2014 alone, Wildlife Services Section received reports of 125 injured bears.  Many of those animals have a broken legs, he said. They adapt quickly — and this bear is no exception," he said.

Clair said her group has recently sent the DEP new photos and videos of the bear, including one in which it lies down in a street repeatedly, seemingly exhausted from walking on its hind legs. Hajna said so far, the DEP hasn't seen anything that suggests it should change course.

"Video footage we've reviewed shows the bear not only walking on its hind legs, but also dropping down on three legs with no difficulty," he said. " In this way, the bear is able to consume quantities of acorns and other natural foods, which are a staple for all bears as they prepare for the winter months.  Many bears, in fact, even lie down on the ground while eating acorns."

State law prohibits feeding of bears, and advises garbages be secured to keep them from seeking out food in residential neighborhoods. Hajna said that's particularly important in this bear's case.

"If the bear receives no food reward in these areas, it will need to spend more time in forested areas searching for natural foods, which will provide it with the best possible nutrition," he said.

The DEP is asking members of the public who see Pedals to call its hotline at 877-927-6337 while it continues to review the situation.

Louis C. Hochman is digital managing editor for NJ1015.com. Reach him at louis.hochman@townsquaremedia.com or on Twitter @LouisCHochman.