Last week, police and wildlife officials were called in to tranquilize and relocate two bears within four days.
The first black bear was contained not far from the entrance ramp to I-91 in New Haven. A second bear was spotted over the weekend in Wallingford on the campus of Choate Rosemary Hall.
Officials from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection transported the bears, weighing more than 300 pounds each, to a remote location in Connecticut.
Wildlife biologist Geoff Krukar said it’s likely we’ll be seeing more.
"The population is growing to the point now where the bears are being forced to move to other areas, and they’re expanding their range down towards the south," he said. "Down towards New Haven, and also to the east, towards the suburbs of Hartford."
Typically, black bears are not aggressive toward humans. And if they’re left alone, Krukar said, they can often find their own way out of an unusual situation.
"The problem is that a lot of times when these bears wander into urban areas it creates a spectacle and people come out to see the bear and they cut off any escape routes for them," he said.
Usually, bears will get scared off if they sense humans, but if they don’t:
"You can try and make yourself look big and make some noise to let the bear know that you’re there and just kind of back away," said Krukar.
The DEEP warns not to feed or approach bears. They also encourage people to take in their bird feeders in the spring, and not to leave garbage and pet food out in the open.
The agency also reports an increase in bear attacks on livestock and beehives in Connecticut.
And while every sighting does not require a call to law enforcement, Krukar said they do like to monitor bear activity. You can report sightings on the DEEP’s website.
Officials estimate there are roughly 700 bears in the state. So far, there have been over 4,500 sightings in the last year.
