At the end of April, Chester Township Patrolman Ryan Steckel responded to a call from a resident of Orchard Drive asserting that a black bear was on the homeowner's porch and attempting to get into some garbage cans.

The furry visitor had departed by the time Steckel had arrived, but the Chester police have passed along information about bears for residents from the State of New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife website:

Black bears are very active throughout the summer breeding season. These are the times of year when black bear/human encounters are most common, due to bears searching for food. On a day-to-day basis, black bears will spend time resting in day beds at the base of trees or in tree limbs. Black bears are clever animals and learn quickly. They can figure out how to access food sources if not properly secured.

New Jersey residents, especially those in areas frequented by black bears, should take steps to avoid attracting bears with food or garbage. This is the best way to prevent black bears from becoming a nuisance near your home.

Some residents may observe black bears using yards as part of their natural travel corridors. The mere presence of a black bear is not considered a problem. Generally, bears tend to be wary of people. It is important not to leave out any food or garbage that may encourage bears to linger in residential areas. One person feeding bears can create a problem bear that may affect the entire neighborhood.

Black bears learn very quickly and bears that are fed intentionally or unintentionally by carelessly leaving out food or garbage will associate people with food. Bears will eat almost anything including human food, garbage, pet food, birdseed and small livestock. Once they find an easily accessible food source, like garbage in a housing development, they will lose their wariness of people and may return to the available food source. These bears can become a nuisance or aggressive and may have to be trapped and aversively conditioned or destroyed.

If a black bear does appear on your property, calling the authorities and waiting for assistance is considered the right course of action. 

For further information about bears in relation to garbage, pets, feeding birds, outdoor grills, beehives, crops, livestock, compost piles, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and other safety tips, please see the Division’s website at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/bearfacts_homeowner.htm