Mount Olive police say the bear had visited the home - which is close to Allamuchy State Park - on at least three occasions in recent days. Each time, it broke into a fenced-in chicken coop and pilfered some chickens.
That spurred the homeowner to move his chickens into a shed on the property, but the bear returned early Saturday and broke into the shed.
When police arrived, they found it outside the shed with a chicken in its mouth.
The bear was killed because it was classified as a "Category I" bruin, meaning it posed an immediate threat to humans or had caused $500 or more in property damage.
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Information from: Daily Record, http://www.dailyrecord.com
