The post This Black Bear Family Took Over a New Jersey Golf Course appeared first on A-Z Animals.

Typically, when we think of wild animals, we think of seeing them in the wild. Perhaps on a hunting trip, going hiking, or taking a safari trip in Africa. But, as we well know, wild animals don’t just know the bounds of the wild. They often cross over into our neighborhoods, towns, and cities. Let’s see the most unlikely place this bear was seen in the video above.

Black Bear Family Seen in New Jersey

The short YouTube video clip shown at the beginning of this blog post takes us to New Jersey. This is where a black mama bear and her cubs are seen. The Newsflare YouTube page picked up on this video and just had to share it with their followers. Newsflare shares various content, such as breaking news, entertainment, and animals.

New Golfers on This Golf Course

At the start of the video, we see the filmmaker keeping his distance. He zooms in so we can see what is happening on this golf course up ahead. There is a massive mother bear with her young cubs in tow.

The National Park Service notes that a mother black bear will typically give birth to one to three cubs at a time. This mother appears to have four cubs with her, which is larger than average but not unheard of for black bears.

Two of the cubs march ahead of the mother and enter the forest nearby. The other two can’t help but be enthralled by the flagstick. As they stop to play with it, one of the cubs ahead quickly runs back because he wants to have some fun, too.

How Many Black Bears Are in New Jersey?

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is native to North America and is the continent’s most widely distributed bear species. Across North America, black bear numbers are commonly estimated in the hundreds of thousands, with some sources placing the population roughly between 600,000 and 900,000. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Fish & Wildlife biologists estimated 3,158 black bears in 2020 for the region north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287.

In consideration of how high their population numbers are overall, it might seem that 3,000+ is not that many. Black bears are most common in northwestern New Jersey, but NJDEP says they have been reported in all 21 counties.

For now, this bear family’s golf course visit is best treated as a memorable wildlife encounter as well as a reminder that black bears can appear near developed areas, especially where habitat and food sources overlap with human spaces. The only danger these courses face is these vicious, playful cubs ripping up their flagsticks.

The post This Black Bear Family Took Over a New Jersey Golf Course appeared first on A-Z Animals.