Bear In Tree At Essex County School; Early Weekend Likely
IRVINGTON, NJ — Students and staff at an Essex County school may have gotten an early weekend due to a bear appearance. Administrators at Burch Charter School of Excellence in Irvington closed down the school early Friday morning after a bear roamed onto the property and climbed into a tree, refusing to come down.
As of 9 a.m., the bear was still on the property – along with Irvington police – and it isn’t likely that the school will reopen for the day, according to Principal Theodore Boler.
The school, located at 100 Linden Avenue on the campus of St. Leo’s in Irvington, serves about 360 students in kindergarten to grade 5.
Boler told Patch that he got a call about a bear on school grounds from a custodian around 5:30 a.m. He arrived on campus around 6 a.m. and was able to confirm that a bear had climbed into a tree.
Administrators closed the school and notified parents and local authorities soon afterward, Boler said.
The bear came down from his arboreal perch for a short time but climbed right back into another nearby tree. Emergency responders are waiting for the bear to descend on his own, keeping the animal’s overall safety in mind as it may be injured in a fall if tranquilized, Boler said Friday morning.
There have been no injuries to any students or staff, the principal said.
For now, officials and emergency responders are taking a cautious approach, Boler told Patch. “No one can predict how a bear thinks,” he said.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A BEAR
Black bears are the largest land mammal in the Garden State and are an integral part of the state’s natural heritage and a vital component of healthy ecosystems, according to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW).
“Since the 1980s the Garden State’s black bear population has been increasing and expanding its range both southward and eastward from the forested areas of northwestern New Jersey,” the DFW states. “Within the most densely populated state in the nation, black bears are thriving and there are now confirmed bear sightings in all 21 of New Jersey’s counties.”
Here’s what to do if you see a bear, according to the DFW:
- Never feed or approach a bear!
- Remain calm if you encounter a bear. Do not run from it.
- Make the bear aware of your presence by speaking in an assertive voice, singing, clapping your hands, or making other noises.
- Make sure the bear has an escape route.
- If a bear enters your home, provide it with an escape route by propping all doors open.
- Avoid direct eye contact, which may be perceived by a bear as a challenge. Never run from a bear. Instead, slowly back away.
- To scare the bear away, make loud noises by yelling, banging pots and pans or using an airhorn. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms. If you are with someone else, stand close together with your arms raised above your head.
- The bear may utter a series of huffs, make popping jaw sounds by snapping its jaws and swat the ground. These are warning signs that you are too close. Slowly back away, avoid direct eye contact and do not run.
- If a bear stands on its hind legs or moves closer, it may be trying to get a better view or detect scents in the air. It is usually not a threatening behavior.
- Black bears will sometimes “bluff charge” when cornered, threatened or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground, avoid direct eye contact, then slowly back away and do not run.
- If the bear does not leave, move to a secure area.
- Report black bear damage or nuisance behavior to the DEP’s 24-hour, toll-free hotline at 1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337).
- Families who live in areas frequented by black bears should have a “Bear Plan” in place for children, with an escape route and planned use of whistles and air horns.
- Black bear attacks are extremely rare. If a black bear does attack, fight back!
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File Photo (not the bear seen in the above article): DFW
