Dog killed in bear attack in North Jersey town as police report multiple encounters
Sparta Police are urging the public to be alert when their pets are outside following two separate bear encounters, including one that killed a dog, over a four-day span.
The first occurred at a home on Graphic Boulevard May 9. Three dogs were outside when a bear attacked and killed one of the animals, Detective Lt. Thomas Snyder told NorthJersey.com Thursday.
On May 13, another dog was injured in a bear attack on Mountain Spring Drive. The two homes are roughly a mile from each other in neighborhoods off West Mountain Road.
Sparta Police, in coordination with officials from New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, are investigating the two incidents and "taking appropriate measures to ensure public safety," Chief Jeffery McCarrick stated in a post on the department Facebook page Wednesday.
In the meantime, McCarrick advised residents near West Mountain Road to be cautious when outside. They should also "take necessary precautions to avoid potential encounters" such as securing outdoor garbage and food sources that may attract wildlife, he said.
Sussex County recorded 80 bear attacks, damage reports or other encounters from Jan. 1 to April 21, according to the most recent Bear Activity Report from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. That figure represents just over half of the 157 incidents in the entire state over that time and is well above the 54 reported during the same period last year.
In January 2022, two dogs were killed by bears in Sparta in a span of less than three weeks. In May of that year, a woman in neighboring Lafayette was taken to the hospital after she was injured by a bear while checking her mail.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Sparta NJ bear attack leaves dog dead, police advise caution
