Bear probably thought Morristown was a ‘neat place,’ DEP says (VIDEO)
Video by MorristownGreen.com
A bear cub's visit to Morristown ended with a trip out of town and back to the woods after being the subject of much attention on the Green Monday afternoon. But a state official says a bear in Morristown isn't all that unexpected.
Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, told New Jersey 101.5 the 247-pound bear was tranquilized by a DEP biologist and fell asleep draped on a tree branch on the Green, where crowds gathered all day to watch the bear.
The bear, which Hajna estimates to be about a year old, was moved from a stretch hammock into a culvert trap for the drive to a wildlife management area. Staff from the DEP stayed with the bear to make sure he woke up successfully and wasn't too groggy before going on his way into the woods.
The photos below are used courtesy of MorristownGreen.com.
The bear's search for for food and habitat likely brought him to Morristown, Hajna said.
"It's not uncommon for bears to follow wooded areas, protected lands and stream corridors, and they can end up in some of the oddest places" in every county of the state, Hajna said. They "will frequently go into a residential area and realize they are drawing attention," he said.
"I understand it's not a common sight to see a bear, in a tree, on the Green, but our preference is for people to resist the urge to gawk and let the bear move on and find its way back to a wooded area," Hajna said.
Hajna says there are occasional reports of bears breaking into chicken coops and livestock cages, and sometimes even homes looking for food. Morris County has one of the densest populations of bears in the state, said Hajna, and Morristown is the first populated area the bears come to wandering from Passaic, Warren and Sussex counties, other areas of the state with a high population of bears.
"He probably was just moseying through the woods, came upon Morristown and though, 'Hey this is a neat place. Let's check it out,'" Hajna said.
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