UPDATED Bear Sighted Near Walgreens

A black bear first spotted near Monday, July 5, and then again near Walgreens at 12:30 p.m. today (Tuesday, July 5,) was spotted again, this time in the area of Harwin Drive, near Ryders Lane close to Applebees and is finally sitting in a tree.

Animal Control Officer David Blumig has been tracking the bear on foot most of the day. It was earlier seen at Hartlander Lane near Warnsdorfer School, where it went for a dip a marshy area, said Emergency Management Coordinator Austin Kosik.

Larry Hajna of the Department of Environmental Protection said the department doesn't necessarily come out unless the bear is a problem and that black bears, males in particular, generally are just moving through the area.

"If a bear goes into a tree, it doesn’t necessary mean we’ll respond," he said. "If the bear shows no inclination to come down we might come down.

"If a bear is not causing any problems, we don’t respond. A bear is just moving through an area, much as they’re apt to do, especially males. They move from area to area looking for turf. We just advise people to give them a berth."

According to the Department of Environmental Protection, bear sightings are on the rise. That's according to a 2010 statement by Commissioner Bob Martin released following the department's passage of new Bear Management Policy.

"The bear population in northwestern New Jersey has grown from 500 bears in 1992 to more than 3,400 bears today, and bears have now been encountered in all 21 New Jersey counties. Although bear-related complaints vary from year to year due to environmental factors, serious bear incidents have increased commensurate with the black bear population, up by 96 percent from 2006 through 2009, according to DEP wildlife officials. There have been several encounters with aggressive black bears in recent weeks, they noted.

"Despite response to problem bears by DEP personnel and trained local police officers, bear complaints continue to rise. There were 1,261 black bear incidents, including 76 Category One aggressive incidents, reported to the DEP between Jan.1 and June 20 (2010)."