FRANKFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J.—Spring was in the air when a New Jersey homeowner found two black bears battling in his yard.
Corey Bale tells NJ.com he went outside to investigate last week after a neighbor told him there was a bear behind his Frankford Township home. But when he stepped outside, he heard a commotion out front and that’s when he saw two bears engaged in a fight.
Bale videotaped the bears as he said he could hear their jaws hitting together as they wrestled. Chunks of hair covered in blood were left behind after they stopped tussling.
BEAR BATTLE! Two black bears decided to throw down right in the middle of a New Jersey front yard. It happened in Frankford Township and one man caught the incredible fight on video. pic.twitter.com/MZn6T0mYpl
— KDKA (@KDKA) May 10, 2019
Bale believes the bears were fighting over the third bear, a female in the backyard.
Grizzly Bear Shot by Landowner in Montana
HELENA, Mont.—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the shooting of a grizzly bear in Montana.
The Independent Record reports that Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks says the bear was shot by a landowner near Augusta on April 13.
Agency bear management specialist Mike Madel says in a press release there have been reports of grizzly bears coming around cabins and getting into livestock feed. But there have been no reports of depredations on livestock to date.
FWP is warning anyone going into areas with bears to prepare themselves with bear spray and be aware of bear attractants and where they are in relation to bear environments.
The USFWS investigates all grizzly-involved incidents due to their status on the Endangered Species List.
State Officials Warn Residents Not to Feed Bears
FRANKFORT, Ky.—State wildlife officials are issuing guidelines and warnings about feeding bears as the animals become more active in some parts of Kentucky.
Officials say an increase in activity can lead to an increase in bear complaints for those living in areas with established populations.
In a release the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is urging residents to change bad habits, like leaving food in garbage cans that can be toppled by bears.
John Hast, a bear program coordinator for the agency, says most bear problems revolve around food. So when a bear gets used to human food, even from the garbage, it begins to lose its fear of people.
Officials are forced to euthanize a few bears each year because they presented a potential danger to the public after being fed by humans.
