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WEST MILFORD - Black bear and cubs break into home
(by Sid Johnston - Staff Writer - September 03, 2008)
WEST MILFORD - Taking a cue from “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” a mother black bear and her two cubs broke into the Broadway house of local school bus driver Kathy Veres on Aug. 25 at around 6:30 p.m.
Township Patrolman Gary Yarnall took a report from Veres, who said the mother bear bent open a porch screen window on the side of the house at 47 Broadway and entered with her two cubs. The three bears didn’t find Goldilocks but went straight for Vere’s refrigerator, leaving a mess on the floor.
According to Yarnall, there was no significant damage to the house aside from the broken screen window and disheveled refrigerator. The bears also ruined all the food in the refrigerator.
The bears, of course, left no fingerprints or evidence for police to use to track them down, so Capt. Mike Coscia said, “We’re not even pursuing this bear at this point. We deal with bears on a regular basis, and the drawback to this problem is it is time consuming.”
Coscia said that the amount of damage bears cause and personal contact with them is relatively small compared to the abundance of calls residents make about bears. The Police Department said that all reported bear incidents are submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which attempts to manage the bear population in the state.
Darlene Yuhas, a spokesperson for the DEP, said the Police Department has submitted this bear report to the state. Wildlife biologists from the Division of Fish and Wildlife will contact Veres for more information on the incident and determine a course of action, Yuhas said.
“Typically in this situation because a home entry is serious, we would attempt to set a trap. In cases in which bears break into homes and cause property damage, the DEP does respond, investigate, and will trap the bears,” Yuhas said.
Yuhas said that the DEP’s general policy is to euthanize any bears that break into houses and are subsequently trapped, and what happens to the orphan cubs generally depends on their age. The wildlife biologists would make a determination on whether the cubs can survive on their own, and they will take care of the cubs if they’re deemed too young, Yuhas said.
Coscia said that sometimes residents will see two different bears come on their property at different times and think it’s the same bear, making a return visit.
However, some Lindy’s Lake area residents suspect that this is just one problem bear, and it is not the first time that this brazen mother and her cubs have affected the community. Residents feel that the fairytale period is over.
“My neighbor has a shed where he places his garbage, but the mother bear figured out how to get into his shed,” Anita Coulton said.
“They’re as cute as ever, but I didn’t know they broke into someone’s house,” Coulton said.
“I bought a bear-proof garbage can, but the bear still broke into it. I lived here for 19 years, and this bear is the only one I’ve seen that does this. I consider this one a problem bear,” Wayne Fingado said. Fingado explained that the bear has been around for weeks, usually between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. He sees the mother and her cubs every day, and is worried about his safety.
Veres could not be reached for comment.
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