A Madison man had a wild encounter with a black bear, and captured the frightening exchange on home video.
He told NBC Connecticut the animal has been terrorizing his neighborhood for weeks and the state just stepped in to make sure the bear and residents are safe.
In the video, the black bear lurked around the backyard at a home on Country Road and when the owner yelled at it, the bear charged at the back door. It went right up to the glass, and was just inches away from the man who recorded everything.
“Very scary,” said John Duham.
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He lives down the way and said the same bear dug through his trash a few weeks ago and woke him up.
“At three in the morning it's been right below our window up here,” Duham explained.
His neighbors recently caught the animal in their swimming pool where it destroyed some toys. Others captured the bear on camera when it ate from their bird feeder.
“It concerns us, for sure, especially for the safety of the kids playing outside,” Duham added.
On Tuesday, the state was also very concerned and set up a trap in the neighborhood. DEEP hopes to catch the animal and move it to a safer place.
“It's a relief to know they’re actually doing something about it,” Duham said.
Until the bear is caught and relocated, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has told people who live around here to be alert and to not approach it.
“I think it could hurt a child eventually,” Duham feared.
The goal is to capture the bear before someone gets hurt.
