Nyack Black Bear Stopped By Bardonia, Valley Cottage

When a young, frightened black bear Wednesday evening, it drew a crowd of nearly two dozens onlookers.

Police are saying the same bear was sighted in New City, Valley Cottage and Bardonia earlier in the week before migrating south in search of food.

"The bear went up to the front door of a residence in Bardonia," explained Patricia Coleman, Clarkstown's animal control officer.

Although black bears are generally scared of humans, –who responded to the sighting and later issued a reverse-911 call to residents—said precautions had to be taken. "When you're dealing with an animal of that size, it's always a concern," Coleman said.

Coleman added that Wednesday's encounter was not as serious as the 230-pound bear that was spotted in Nanuet in June. "Fortunately, we had a cub," she said.

Coleman noted some residents' alarm was compounded by recent wildlife incidents—a in June, and a grizzly bear killed a man at Yellowstone Nation Park this past Wednesday. The fox was euthanized, but the bear is being allowed to live—the female was protecting her cubs, officials said.

Coleman noted that the crowed of twenty-or-so onlookers that gathered in Nyack to watch the bear was unfortunate. "It puts pressure on anyone trying to control the animal," she explained. "And had [the bear] been a vicious animal, we would have had a problem." 

When a bear wanders into a residential neighborhood as it did Wednesday, authorities' first plan of action is to scare the animal back into the wilderness. Luckily, this approach worked in Nyack—but it doesn't always.

"When an animal clearly is not going to relocate, we respond with appropriate action," Coleman said. Appropriate action often means tranquilizing the animal, which happened last year when a large bear was found near Nanuet Middle School. The bear was tagged and transported back to the woods.

Coleman added that education is key when it comes to preventing unwanted ursine visitors. "People leave out food for stray cats and deer, but that invites other animals [like bears] into the neighborhood," she said. Further, exposed garabge—and even things like dirty diapers—can bring a hungry bear, she added.

The solution? "Spray your garbage with liquid Lysol or ammonia," Coleman advised. "Bears have very sensitive noses."