Aggressive bear encounter forces closure of Tourne County Park in Boonton, New Jersey
BOONTON, N.J. -- A Morris County park has been closed after a close call with a bear and a flurry of sightings across New Jersey.
A parkgoer's encounter with a black bear forced officials to close Tourne County Park in Boonton this week.
"A bear followed a patron out of the park, even though it knew it was there. It got within a close distance," said Kelli Kovacevic, director of park maintenance and natural resources for Morris County.
The bear's aggressive behavior toward a person was not typical.
"It's unusual behavior. Bears usually keep a distance from humans, especially if they know they're there," said Kovacevic.
According to Kovacevic, part of the blame is on parkgoers who all too often let their dogs run off leash.
"Dogs running off leash are unpredictable in nature, even though people think they have them under control. We often find them running off into the woods and it leads to negative encounters with wildlife," said Kovacevic.
Dogs are required to be on a 6-foot leash in Tourne Park.
Jack Hall walks in and around the park daily and frequently sees dog owners ignoring the rule.
"I really sympathize with the bears because people constantly don't put their dogs on leashes, and that's the cause of it," said Hall.
The 500-plus-acre park has been closed since Wednesday. A trap was put out to try to catch the aggressive bear. Officials will evaluate whether to safely reopen the park next week.
"There is wildlife in the park, particularly bears. We are in bear country," said Kovacevic. "Never feed a bear, never approach a bear. Definitely keeping dogs on leash would go a long way to prevent future incidents."
June and July are the peak of black bear mating season, which makes it the most active time of year for bear sightings.
Morris County officials will continue monitoring the park to make sure people are not going in while it's closed.
