Bear Attacks New York And New Jersey Boys In Jersey Campground

Photo via New Jersey DEP

Two boys, one from Brooklyn and one from Jersey City, aged 11 and 12, were injured when a black bear attacked their campsite in northern New Jersey yesterday, state officials are reporting. One boy's foot was punctured and the other's shoulder was scratched in the attack.

The boys, whose names were not released, were attacked at about 5 a.m. in the Stokes State Forest in Sussex County, near the Appalachian Trail. State police said the area was being used by Trail Blazers Camp, an outdoor adventure program for kids. The bear attempted to grab the children out of two separate tents, one of the two adult counselors with the group of nine children told authorities. The adults moved the children into a partially enclosed cabin near the campsite for safety until a wildlife technician arrived and shot the bear in the neck. The bear was injured but not killed, and fled into the forest, while the boys were taken to a hospital and treated for superficial injuries.

Officials described the bear as a yearling, the age between cub and full-grown adult. They have laid traps for the bear, and state biologist Al Ivany told NBC, "The bear will be shot once it's found ... it will be killed." Last month, two New York teens were attacked by a bear in Alaska, though officials say bear incidents in New Jersey are rare.

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By Jamie Feldmar in News on August 4, 2011 2:05 PM

Comments [rss]

carolbetzy

this article needs an update- the bear didn't cause the injuries. And- the injuries were old (one of them was a blister!). Last I read, they are looking for the bear to kill it anyway.

Amy Lavine

I've posted some background info on black bear management laws in New Jersey (including information regarding lethal control techniques and bear hunting) here: http://feraenaturae.net/2011/0...

whatidsay

Don't understand whty they have to kill it. After all, It's only doing what bears do. As humans, we're the morons for getting in their way.

SFNY

The thinking behind it is that the bear now knows that tents contain tasty vittles, so it's going to come back for seconds.

Nos Feratu

Jersey isn't Montana. Bambi-ists have allowed the bear population to get out of control in the most densely populated state in the US. What's needed is an annual bear hunt until the bear population is thinned out.

robingee

Yeah they do that.

We ruin the habitat then do them a favor by killing them. Yay us.

cr17

"The bear attempted to grab the children out of two separate tents" = Food was being stored in the tent, which is always a no-no.

Barbara Starkweather

Not only is it unclear that food was being stored in the tents, but according to today's Times, the camper's injuries weren't caused by a bear at all.

http://tinyurl.com/3p3qczu

Barbara H

Camping. A Darwin Award waiting to happen

robingee

Camping is pretty common. How is it some stupid stunt that no one should do?

cr17

Follow the rules and be aware and you'll be fine. It's harder with kids in groups because they tend to need to have food all over the place all the time.

Barbara Starkweather

Here's how easy it is to make a mistake while in black bear country. Some years ago, a Boy Scout was attacked by a bear in High Point State Park, right next to Stokes, the scene of the latest attack. Bear went under a tarp and swatted the kid.

There was no food under the tarp. NJ Wildlife officials stated that they thought the bear might have been attracted to the washed out Gatorade bottles the kid was using as water containers. That's how keen a bears sense of smell is.

This latest attack might not have been the fault of the two scouts, the bear may have learned to associate humans with food somewhere else.