Several videos shot in New Jersey show what appears to be a bear walking upright in a very human-like manner. One expert has expressed doubt about the video, but others insist that it’s real.
Multiple videos have surfaced from New Jersey recently which depict a bear walking upright on its hind legs. The bear’s human-like gait has sparked debate regarding the validity of the creature seen in the video.
PIX11 Coverage
PIX11 published an article on August 7 about several videos which show the upright bear roaming around neighborhoods in New Jersey. An expert was consulted, but he dismissed the footage as “sketchy.” Larry Ragonese of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection stated that he watched the video four times and has suggested it is probably not real. “A bear on its hind legs would not be walking as smoothly as (this creature) seems to be,” he said. Several readers have insisted that the bear is real.
Yahoo / Good Morning America
The bear was mentioned on Good Morning America, and an accompanying Yahoo! article. This article cites another expert from New Jersey, Kelsey Burgess of the New Jersey Department of Fish, Game, and Wildlife, who did not dismiss the story. She noted that the bear was “banged by a car. Bears can walk on their hind legs very well.”
On August 6, video of the bear was posted to Reddit with the title, “Creepy black bear walking on two legs.”
Below are three videos in which the New Jersey walking bear can be seen.
Video 1
This footage was shot in July 2014 and is entitled “Oak Ridge NJ Bipedal Bear.” The grainy video shows a bear walking upright across a street and into a yard.
Video 2
The video below was posted to YouTube on August 4, 2014 and is entitled, “Just a bear walking upright like a human.” The description states that the bear was seen on August 4 in Jefferson Township, New Jersey. While it does appear to show a bipedal bruin, the 98-second video is not shot at close enough range to tell with any certainty if the creature is real. The video amassed nearly a million views in its first few days.
Video 3
The video below was posted to Facebook on August 5, 2014 and provides a much clearer view of the bipedal bear. Speculation about the bear’s possible injury appears to be confirmed in this video, as the bruin’s front right paw does look injured.
Some residents have stated that, while the bear is a curiosity, it appears to be injured and hungry and should not be approached.
Conclusion
Although an official with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has suggested that the video looks “sketchy,” residents and other experts remain firm that the bear is real and walks upright because it is injured.
The third video above provides the clearest view of the bear, which appears to confirm the animal’s injury. Although the injury theory was dismissed in the PIX11 story, video evidence and eyewitness reports suggests that this may be the most likely cause for the bear to walk upright.
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