Quote:
Originally Posted by briansnat
I'm in West Milford about a mile from where that happened. That morning I heard a bear outside my BR window. The snorts and snuffling sounds were unmistakable. By the time I got out of bed and went to the window it was gone, but a look out the front door showed nearly every garbage can in view on its side, with the garbage strewn around the street. It was definitely a bear I heard. A few hours later that bear was shot not far away. I wondered if it was the same one.
The comments section in that article is frighting. Most of those posters don't realize that once a bear learns that the inside of a home means food, no home is safe. And I have to laugh at "the bears were here first" argument. They were virtually extinct in NJ for much of the 20th century, while these homes were being built. And bear were also there first in NYC, Newark, Paterson, etc. I bet "the bear were here first" crowd might be singing a different tune if bear were wandering the streets of NY, Newark, etc. killing pets and breaking into homes.
Over the past dozen years they have been seen wandering Wayne, Totowa, West Orange and Little Falls. Hardly bear country. There are simply too may bear for the available habitat. Fortunately or unfortunately, many wild animals have adapted to living in close quarters to humans. I grew up in Passaic in the 60's and 70's and never even saw a freakin' rabbit. Now there are deer living there. I was shocked to see one run past my parent's house about 10 years ago.
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The deer have learned that they are safe in the burbs so they are proliferating there & their predators have followed them as well.
I grew up in WAYNE & we rarely ever saw a deer growing up-when did it was a big treat. The town is filthy with them now along with coyotes as well as bear.
The larger males displace the smaller males if they cannot catch & eat them so that is why we are seeing more bear in the burbs-especially as the summer draws to a close & the breeding season is starting.
Any bear that performs a B&E into a home is shot on the spot. It is up to us to be smarter than the bear to prevent unfortunate consequences by keeping garbage secured & in bear safe cans, windows closed along with doors etc. They are the apex predator & need to be respected & managed not hunted back into extinction so people can have some crappy chewy stew meat & rug
