Linden Mayor Derek Armstead is reporting that the bear spotted near the border of Rahway and Linden on Friday afternoon is still on the loose, and he is urging anyone who spots the animal to immediately notify the state Department of Environmental Protection’s 24-hour, toll-free hotline at 1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337).
The Rahway Police Department issued an advisory message around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, stating that the bear had been spotted in the city on the train tracks near Elizabeth Avenue and heading toward the Linden border.
“We are actively attempting to locate, contain, and tranquilize it,” said Rahway Police.
The bear has been spotted in Westfield, Rahway and Linden but authorities warn that people should not approach the animal, although watching from a safe distance or from inside a home may help assess why it’s there, like if it’s attracted to a food source.
Black bears are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders who will consume whatever food is available.
Black bears are typically not aggressive animals and tend to be wary of people.
They do, however, engage in posturing to intimidate other animals and people when establishing dominance or when they feel threatened.
While extremely rare, predatory attacks do occur, as happened in West Milford, Passaic County, in September, 2014. It is the first documented bear fatality in New Jersey’s history.
People who encounter a bear should wait to see if it leaves on its own, but if it approaches your house or puts its paws on your windows or doors, you can try to scare it away by making loud noises by shouting, banging pots or slamming doors.
The American Black Bear is a large-bodied, muscular animal that is quite agile and can run up to 35 miles per hour.
New Jersey’s adult male black bears, called boars, weigh on average 400 pounds. Their weight can range from 150 pounds to over 600 pounds. Adult females, called sows, weigh on average 175 pounds. Their weight can range from 150 pounds to over 400 pounds.
Adult black bears are about 3 feet high when on all four paws and can range from 5 feet to 7 feet tall when standing. Black bears can be many different colors, ranging from brown to black.
Most black bears in New Jersey are black, but there has been one documented black bear in the state that is cinnamon brown in color. About fifteen percent (15%) of New Jersey’s bears also have a white chest blaze. The muzzles of black bears are typically brown.
Black bears have a remarkable sense of smell. They have been documented detecting scents at more than two miles away from a food source. The area of the nasal mucous membrane in a bear’s head is 100 times larger than that in a human.
Their excellent sense of smell is what sometimes leads them on a search for food in residential neighborhoods and campgrounds.
Black bears also have good hearing and can see well, although they are near-sighted. Their ability to see color helps them when foraging for foods such as berries and fruits. They can also see well at night, due to a reflective layer in the back of their eyeball which mirrors the moonlight.
Black bears are strong swimmers. They are also excellent climbers who have five toes on each paw with claws that are about two inches long and curved for climbing trees. Both adults and cubs will climb trees for food and to escape disturbances. Black bears can live for 25 years in the wild. Signs of a black bear in the area include bear scat, paw prints and marked trees
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