TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J. — Residents are being urged to secure garbage, birdseed, pet food, and other potential food sources following recent black bear sightings near Ridgewood Boulevard North.
Township police said residents should not approach a bear and should report sightings to the department, providing the animal’s location. Simply seeing a bear pass through a yard is not ordinarily cause for alarm, officials said, but residents should give it space and allow it a clear route away from the area.
Bears are often drawn into residential neighborhoods by food odors. Common attractants include garbage, birdseed and suet, pet food, compost, and grease left on barbecue grills. Once a bear finds food at a home, it may return repeatedly or search nearby properties for similar sources.
Residents should store garbage in a building or bear-resistant container and put it outside only on collection day. Garbage should never be left outdoors overnight. Pet food should be brought inside, grills should be cleaned, and bird feeding should be suspended for one to two weeks if a bear has visited a feeder.
Police noted that bear activity in residential areas often increases during spring and summer, when natural food may be limited, males roam during breeding season, and younger bears disperse in search of new territory. Bears passing through a neighborhood may remain in the area for less than two weeks, particularly when they cannot find food.
Residents should not feed, taunt, corner, or crowd a bear. Although shouting, clapping, sounding a car horn, or activating motion-sensitive lights may cause one to leave, residents should stop if the animal does not respond and should not move closer.
Crowds can make a bear’s behavior less predictable and prevent it from leaving safely. Residents who encounter one should keep other people and pets away and contact police.
Additional bear-safety guidance is available through the National Park Service.