Cops kill bear after sheep mauling
15/09/07 16:07
Attack in Denville called 'highly unusual'
BY ROB JENNINGS
DAILY RECORD
Saturday, September 15, 2007
DENVILLE -- Police shot and killed a 300-pound black bear on Friday morning after it scaled a wire fence, invaded a 15-acre farm and dragged a large sheep into nearby woods, said township Lt. Christopher Wagner.
The 100-pound sheep survived the grisly attack but was badly injured and had to be put down by police, Wagner said.
Jimmy DiGuiseppi of 6 Wood Road, a self-described "hobby farmer," said he awakened on Friday to find the bear "tearing the sheep apart." His seven other sheep were unhurt.
"It had mauled the head and the neck all off," DiGuisepppi said. He added that he passed up a clear shot at the bear because he was worried about possibly getting in trouble.
Two animals die
Eight officers responding to the scene at 8:30 a.m. converged on the bear in the woods, Wagner said. An officer killed the bruin with two shotgun blasts while another used a handgun to kill the mauled sheep.
DiGuiseppi said he was astonished by the bear's strength.
"This sheep was one of my largest. (The bear) dragged it 300 yards out of a pasture, over a 4-foot fence and into the woods," said DiGuiseppi, whose farm near the Denville/ Rockaway Township border is backed up by 400 acres of state land.
Wagner said the incident was "highly unusual." Denville police hadn't shot and killed a bear since one was struck and injured by a car several years ago, he said.
Larger issue
DiGuiseppi, a 45-year resident, said he couldn't recall a similar attack on his livestock. He speculated that the bear might have been roaming for food in advance of hibernation.
"They need a lot of protein to survive the winter in their sleep," he said.
DiGuiseppi said he was more concerned about the potential danger to people than by what happened to the sheep.
"If you lose a sheep or two, you buy another one," he said.