Man, Dog Attacked By Bear In Litchfield: Reports

LITCHFIELD, CT — A 65-year-old man and his dog were injured in a bear attack in Litchfield on Saturday, according to multiple reports citing the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

According to a WFSB report, the attack happened around 11:15 a.m. when a bear wandered into the man's yard to inspect his bird feeders. The man's dog spotted the bear and chased it, prompting the bear to attack the dog, reports said.

The man intervened and was injured by the bear, the News-Times reported.

Following the attack, the bear escaped to the woods and was not found. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, reports said, while his dog was taken to a veterinarian.

So far in 2023, there have been 5,433 black bear sightings in Connecticut, according to data provided to Patch by DEEP. Connecticut's black bear population has been out of hibernation for about three months, and residents of all but 15 towns have filed sighting reports.

• RELATED: Where The Bears Are In CT: Town-By-Town Data

At least two of those reports were made when a couple of bears crashed Avon's annual Memorial Day parade this year. Earlier that month, a bear broke into a home in Avon and helped itself to some food. Finally, an Avon bakery worker learned the hard way that bears love cupcakes, too, when one of them broke into her shop and started throwing its weight around.

A few days later in Bloomfield, a bear was euthanized after it had broken into a home in town.

To minimize your chances of waking up to find a bear browsing your fridge, DEEP officials suggest you hide away your bird feeders and trash cans.