Bear Mauls W. Milford Man
By Rob Jennings
Daily Record
May 24, 2003
A West Milford man was mauled by a 150-pound female bear in his backyard Friday as he attempted to rescue the family dog, in one of the most harrowing encounters yet between a person and bear in New Jersey.
Rob Skrypek, 35, of 21 Alvin Road, bled profusely after suffering “significant puncture wounds” in the hand, shoulder and head during the 2 p.m. attack, state Department of Environmental Commissioner Bradley Campbell said.
He was unarmed as he confronted the bear, which scaled a 4-foot-high cyclone fence, apparently attracted by garbage on the property. The bruin’s yearling cub was also in the yard, but did not attack Skrypek or his dog, Campbell said.
Skrypek was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in good condition Friday evening. His dog was clinging to life, Campbell said.
“The damage the bear caused here might have been limited to injuries to the family dog, but for the efforts of the homeowner to save the dog,” Campbell said. “It's ill-advised to think you can take on a wild animal of this size or this aggressiveness.”
By nightfall, a team of police officers, hunters and state wildlife officers had not located the bruin. The search was to resume this morning, West Milford Police Chief James Dykstra said.
“We have never had an incident in West Milford where a bear has attacked a human being,” Dykstra said, adding that in this case, “the human being went after the bear.”
“My concern is that people not panic, because this bear clearly did not attack a human being unprovoked,” the police chief said.
While the bear would be killed if located, the yearling would likely be spared because it did not behave aggressively, Campbell said.
The incident was the second in three days involving conflict between bears and people in northwestern New Jersey.
In Sparta on Tuesday, a 2-year-old boy sitting on his family’s porch steps was swatted at by a bear, which used the soft pad of its paw without the claws extended. The boy, Mark Tregidgo, suffered only a bump on the head. The bear was killed by police. (read this story)
Close encounters with bears have escalated in recent years as the bear population has grown and more people have moved into bear habitat. New Jersey’s bear population has grown from 100 to about 2,000 in three decades.
Campbell said that the West Milford attack “is consistent with a pattern of livestock and pet killings by aggressive bears.”
On Thursday, the state Fish and Game Council held a public hearing in Trenton on the proposed 2003-04 game code, which would grant permission for New Jersey's first bear hunt since 1970.
While there has never been a fatal attack by a black bear in New Jersey, supporters of a hunt fear that one is inevitable. Last year, a 5-month-old infant was killed in upstate New York (read this story).
Campbell said that Friday's incident “reinforces the soundness of the decision to authorize a limited hunt” in December, a move that Fish and Game is expected to formalize in the next few weeks.
Council member Jack Schrier of Mendham Township, the only one of 11 members to oppose a hunt, said that a majority of speakers at Thursday's public hearing disagreed with his viewpoint.
Asked if Friday’s incident in West Milford would make a bear hunt more likely, Schrier said that “the bear hunt is a cinch anyway … the issue is now sealed.”
The bear hunt would take place from December 8 to December 13 and be restricted to areas north of Route 78 and west of Route 287, where black bears breed most heavily. That would include Morris and Sussex counties.
Skrypek’s house is part of High View Estates, a residential development located near heavily forested areas, Dykstra said.
Skrypek was inside when he heard his dog barking, Dykstra said.
“Who attacked who? Did the bear attack the dog? The bear could have been attacked (first). The cub may have been in danger,” the West Milford police chief said.
Skrypek battled the bear with nothing but his hands, Campbell said.
“The dog is quite seriously injured,” the DEP commissioner said.
Noting that the bear was apparently drawn by garbage on the porch, Campbell said that “with or without a hunt,” people need to do more to avoid encouraging bears.
The mother of the Sparta boy admitted to feeding bears a year ago, but said she stopped even before a law forbidding such feeding took effect. Feeding black bears is dangerous because it leads them to associate people with food and to become more aggressive.
A state law banning the intentional feeding of black bears took effect in November. Campbell said the statute also covers a failure to secure food and garbage, though unintentional feeding - such as leaving out bait for deer - is exempted. Violators face a fine of up to $1,000.
“If garbage is poorly managed, it effectively is feeding the bear,” Campbell said.
“We are currently looking at what might have occasioned this bear to be attracted to his household,” Campbell added. “Even one person in a community feeding a bear, or failing to control a garbage area, creates a risk for an entire community.”
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