Bear On the Loose: Black Bear Ends Up In a Tree (Photos and Video)

Editor's Note: The bear has since left the tree and was last seen wandering nearby. On Wednesday morning, he was once again in a tree, this time at Wellington and Tompkins roads with police nearby.

A black bear spotted on Monday has found yet another resting place. Police now have the bear cornered in a tree at Wellington and Tompkins roads.

Yesterdaty afternoon, the bear spent some time a tree between Ryders Lane and Milltown Road. Police said the bear was first seen Monday, July 4, at approximately 7:20 p.m. near Cranbury Road and Helmetta Boulevard. It was then chased down Dunhams Corner Road and into the wooded area near the Joyce Kilmer Rest Stop on the NJ Turnpike.

Today (Tuesday, July 5), the bear was spotted on Dunhams Corner Road near the Township’s Recycling Center, traveled through numerous residential yards until finding a swampy area near the NJ Turnpike and . At about 2:30 p.m., it climbed a tree in the neighborhood between . Because of it’s location, the NJ Fish and Wildlife are unable to remove the bear, police said. The bear is approximately 300 pounds.

However, Larry Hajna of the Department of Environmental Protection said the department doesn't necessarily come out unless the bear is a problem. He also said black bears, males in particular, generally are just moving through the area, and this one is no exception.

"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."

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 in a marshy area, said Emergency Management Coordinator Austin Kosik.

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)."