Bears have entered Connecticut homes more than 50 times so far this year, and state officials are urging residents to take precautions as the black bear population – and associated conflict – continues to grow.
“Connecticut is now bear country, and we have to act like it’s bear country,” said Jenny Dickson, director of the wildlife division of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP.
The agency held a public forum Wednesday evening in Warren, a small town in Litchfield County where bears have entered multiple homes this year.
“There’s been a lot more interactions with bears this year,” said Warren First Selectman Greg LaCava. “Bears are a part of Warren now, and we have to figure this out. People have a lot of questions.”
LaCava said an adult bear with three cubs recently visited his yard.
“They didn’t mind us yelling at them or my dog barking at them,” LaCava said. “They were climbing trees, having a good time. They’re becoming, I think, a little more comfortable around food sources and humans.”
DEEP wildlife biologist Jason Hawley said bears in the state are, in fact, becoming increasingly habituated to humans – “when bears lose their fear” – and food-conditioned – “when bears start to directly associate food with people.”
“They see a person, they hear a person, they smell a person, and they know they can get food near people and nothing bad is going to happen to them,” Hawley told a crowd of about 50 people Wednesday evening.
Bear hunt proposal is controversial in CT
The 51 home entries reported so far this year across the state is more than was reported all of last year, Hawley said. The state’s 3,700 reported human-bear conflicts last year gives Connecticut the lead among northeast states, even compared to neighbors with much higher bear populations, like Massachusetts and New York.
Hawley said some residents’ patience is growing thin.
“There’s something called biological carrying capacity, and that’s basically: If you took humans out of the mix, what can the ecosystem hold?” Hawley said. “Then we have this other term called cultural carrying capacity, and that’s basically human tolerance: How much are humans willing to tolerate?”
“I can tell you for a fact that in many parts of the northwestern parts of Connecticut, for a lot of people in those areas, we have exceeded cultural carrying capacity,” Hawley said.
DEEP advocates for a bear hunt, a practice that’s legal in all other northeastern states with established bear populations but not allowed in Connecticut. Proposals for such a hunt have died in the state legislature in recent years. Opponents say the state should look only to non-lethal solutions to address human-bear conflicts, such as educational efforts – and that residents need to do more to remove food sources to make it less enticing for bears.
Tips to reduce bear conflicts
Without a bear hunt available, DEEP is leaning into public education.
“Reduce any chance that bears are going to find human-source food,” Dickson said. “That’s things like bird feeders, or having your pet food outdoors.”
“Not putting your trash out until collection day is really important,” she said. “If you go away from your house for a little while, make sure you close those windows and doors. Don’t just leave the screen windows or screen doors in place. That’s not going to stop a hungry bear.”
DEEP Deputy Commissioner Mason Trumble added that other good ideas include bear-resistant trash cans, locking car doors and removing food from vehicles.
Hawley, the biologist, also advised residents not to rush to film bears on their property, but instead make clear they’re not welcome.
“There's some corny saying: ‘If you care, scare the bear,’” Hawley said. “Don't hurt the bear, but try to scare the bear out of your yard. If you can do it safely from a safe distance, yell – compressed air horns work well. Just anything you can do – paintball guns. Don't hit them in the face, because we don't want bears to lose their eyes.”
“It might seem cruel to some people, but it's very important for that bear, and you may end up actually saving that bear's life by doing that,” Hawley said.
Hawley said a hunt would definitely help mitigate conflicts between bears and humans, but would “not solve all our problems.”
“People are still going to have to be responsible, secure their food, take bird feeders down, and make sure garbage is inaccessible,” Hawley said.
Karen Miller came to Wednesday’s forum from nearby Bethlehem to hear from experts on how to safely coexist with bears. She said she and her neighbors see bears frequently.
“I can't even go for my mail without being concerned that I'm going to meet a bear,” she said. “I was in my garden, and I just heard a slight noise, and I looked over and the bear was about eight feet away from me.”
“That’s just not right,” Miller said. “Hunting is a very good solution.”
