Police Offer Tips for Bear Season

It is that time of the year again.

The ’s trained “Bear Officers” and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife have teamed up to help residents stay safe during bear season.

Officials offer the following tips to follow if a bear enters your yard:

• Never feed the bear.
• Keep at least 15 feet away from the bear.
• Make sure the bear has an escape route.
• Yell, bang pots and pans or use an airhorn to scare the bear away.
• Note that the bear may utter a series of huffs, snap its jaw and swat the ground. These are all warning signs that you are too close. Slowly back away.
• If the bear will not leave, notify the police immediately.
• Use common sense in a bear encounter–never approach the animal!
• If a bear stands on its hind legs or moves closer it may be trying to get a better view or detect smells in the air.
• Make your presence known by clapping, talking or waving your arms.
• Black bears will sometimes “bluff charge” when cornered, threatened or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground, then slowly back away. Do not run from the bear.
• If you encounter a bear at close range, remain standing upright, avoid direct eye contact and slowly back away.

Officials also recomment that you "bear-proof" your yard.

• Storing garbage in an airtight container in a secure area is the best method for prevention of nuisance problems. Garbage cans should be stored inside the home or in a shed until the morning of pick up or be equipped with bear-proof lids.
• Wash garbage containers at least once a week with a disinfectant solution to remove any odors.
• The outside feeding of dogs and cats should be done during daylight hours. All uneaten food scraps, as well as the food bowl, should be removed immediately after feeding.
• Bird feeders should be suspended from a free hanging wire so that its bottom is at least 8 feet off of the ground.

Black bears learn very quickly, according to police. Bears that associate food with people may become aggressive. This may lead to personal injury, property damage and the need to destroy problem animals.

Please note that the mere presence of a black bear is not considered a problem, but if a bear is unyielding or aggressive, contact the Parsippany Police Department. The PPD has “bear officers” who are trained to use a system of “adverse conditioning” and coercion to remove a bear from an area. Loud noises and tracking of the animal are used in an attempt to move the bear out of the vicinity of the public.

If verbal conditioning and coercion do not work, then non-lethal rubber buck shot rounds may be discharged only if the surrounding area is clear and safe. The rounds are fired at the hindquarters of the bear and only cause minor discomfort.

Lethal force is only a last resort and only if the officer feels that he or she or the public is in imminent danger due to the bear’s aggression.

For more information on New Jersey’s black bears, visit the state Division of Fish and Game website.