connecticut bears

Connecticut has undoubtedly seen more bear interactions as of late, and you may be wondering just how many sightings have been reported in your town. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) released data that shows how many bear sightings have been reported to them in each of the state’s 169 towns. So far this year, Simsbury has the…

Lawmakers have passed a bill allowing for certain killings of bears and prohibits intentional feeding of them.

Lawmakers have passed a bill allowing for certain killings of bears and prohibits intentional feeding of them. The bill had already passed in the Senate and will now head to the governor’s desk where it could be signed into law. In several areas around the state, bears are a common part of the landscape. “We’ve seen them up on...

A bear was euthanized after breaking into a Bloomfield home with its yearlings.

A Bloomfield homeowner found unexpected visitors inside his kitchen on Wednesday. A group of black bears, a female bear and her two yearlings, got inside and it was all caught on camera. The female bear wound up being put down by DEEP EnCon officers. “When I looked around and saw it, I was like ‘no.’ We’re going back up,’”...

Neighbors in Hartford were surprised to see a young bear stuck in a tree for hours Friday. That bear eventually got down after being tranquilized by wildlife officials.

Neighbors in Hartford were surprised to see a young bear stuck in a tree for hours Friday. That bear eventually got down after being tranquilized by wildlife officials. “I just can’t believe it,” said Donna Campbell. There’s disbelief in the eyes of neighbors like Campbell, seeing this young black bear up in a tree in her Hartford neighborhood near...

The recent case of a bear cub in Litchfield is drawing attention to a little-known policy in the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) regarding orphaned cubs. “It’s a death sentence for them,” said Annie Hornish, state director for the Connecticut branch of the Humane Society of the United States. The policy classifies cubs younger than six months...

People at Avon Old Farms School had two unique visitors on Tuesday. A mama bear and her cub were spotted on the school’s campus while classes were in session. In a post on Facebook, the school warned students not to approach the bears after a sighting was reported. Just last month, a bear was euthanized after biting a 74-year-old...

No sanctioned bear hunts this time. Connecticut lawmakers moved a bill forward Friday removing a controversial hunting proposal meant to address the rise in bear-human interactions. In a state with many wide forests, people in Connecticut are no strangers to seeing bears in their neighborhoods. They include homeowners in Simsbury. “We’ve had them come on the porch. We’ve had...

Connecticut lawmakers voted Friday to allow special state permits to kill bears that threaten or damage crops, livestock or bees. However, they shelved a more contentious proposal to allow a limited bear hunt supported by state environmental officials grappling with an increase in human-bear conflicts. The proposed annual bear hunt, which would have been limited to a northwestern Connecticut county,…

The Connecticut bear population will soon emerge from winter denning. While people love taking photos and videos of bears in their backyard, there have been several bear-related issues and state wildlife officials recommend some precautions as we begin to see more bears. Bears have been spotted in every town in Connecticut at some point, according to the state Department of…

Winnie the Pooh famously loved honey, but a bear looking for some honey in Somers ran into trouble Saturday night. Homeowner Michael Bushior said the bear came by to try and get into his beehive but he was able to scare the animal away. About 30 minutes later, the bear returned and tipped over the beehive, spilling bees everywhere. The…

The bear had to battle hundreds of bees while trying to get some honey out of a beehive in Somers.

A birdfeeder hanging from a shepherd hook outside a Somers residence is now the property of a determined bear after a bit of a battle. Robert Vargo shared a video that shows a bear using one of its paws to pull the hook down, then using its mouth to get a better hold. The bear then managed to get the…

A birdfeeder hanging from a shepherd hook outside a Somers residence is now the property of a determined bear. Video courtesy of Robert Vargo.

It’s already been a record-breaking year for bears breaking into homes in our state, and the number might only rise during the fall which experts say is a really active time for bears.

It’s already been a record-breaking year for bears breaking into homes in our state, and the number might only rise during the fall, which experts say is a really active time for bears. Now, they’re urging people to help prevent these types of encounters. “It’s been a record year for bear home entries,” said DEEP Wildlife Division Director Jenny...