Tourne Park rangers are hunting an aggressive black bear after it has scared several dog walkers.
Trails in Tourne County Park will be closed "until further notice" after several reports of the black bear "displaying aggressive behavior towards park patrons," the Morris County Park Commission said in a Facebook post on June 21.
The behavior is due to dog owners allowing their pets off the leash.
"There was one specific incident between a park patron and a sow protecting its three cubs. The Morris County Sheriff's Patrol Unit will be monitoring the park," the park continued.
Newsweek has contacted the park by email for more information.
There are an estimated 3,000 black bears living in New Jersey. The species are very rarely aggressive to humans, with attacks and conflicts only occurring when there is some human error at play.
Usually a bear will be shy of humans and retreat rather than attack.
Female black bears with cubs are particularly territorial, meaning anything that comes too close, be it a human or a dog, could be seen as a potential threat.
Several parkgoers commented on the Morris County Park Commission's Facebook post, claiming they have often seen dogs running in the park without a leash.
One Facebook user, Sallie Mc, said in a comment that she regularly walks in Jonathan's Woods, an area of the county park.
"[We] regularly see a mamma bear and two cubs. My dog is always leashed. We all maintain a respectful distance and there have never been any problems. The problem in these situations is rarely the animal," the comment said.
Bridget Fitzsimmons also commented on the post, saying that this particular park is "notorious" for people letting their dogs off the leash.
"I stopped walking the trails with my dog because of people letting their dogs run free, it's to dangerous. The leash law should be enforced. Give out tickets, make some money. Wildlife shouldn't have to pay the price because of irresponsible pet owners," Fitzsimmons said.
Officials at the park enforce a rule that dogs must be kept on a 6-foot leash all the time.
Fish and Wildlife officials have set up a trap for the mother bear and her cubs that have reportedly been aggressive to parkgoers, ABC7 reported.
If the bear is not caught after a week, the trap will be taken down. This is because officials will assume the bear is less aggressive at this point in time.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
