Bear Tries To Break Into CT Home: DEEP

TORRINGTON, CT — A bear was spotted trying to break into a Connecticut home last week, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

In an email to Patch, DEEP Spokesperson Bill Flood said the department received a report last Friday of a bear attempting to gain access to a residence in Torrington.

"When EnCon officers arrived, the bear was no longer on scene," Flood said.

Flood said he did not have any information on whether or not the home was occupied at the time.

According to Flood, as the bear population increases in Connecticut, so have human-bear interactions.

He also noted Torrington had the fifth most bear sightings of all Connecticut towns in 2025.

"As black bear sightings increase in Connecticut, DEEP encourages residents to follow best practices to reduce the likelihood of human-bear conflicts and keep both people and bears safe," Flood said.

According to Flood, bears are attracted to easily accessible food sources near homes and businesses such as garbage, pet food, compost, fruit trees and bird feeders.

Bears can also become habituated to human areas when food is present, Flood said.

To help prevent future encounters, DEEP encourages Connecticut residents to:

• Never feed bears, intentionally or unintentionally.
• Store garbage in secure, airtight containers, preferably indoors until collection day.
• Take down birdfeeders if bears are active in your area.
• Keep barbecue grills clean and store them inside when not in use.
• Do not leave pet food outside.

Any resident who sees a bear in their yard is asked not to approach it. Instead, they should go indoors and, if necessary, make loud noises from inside to encourage the bear to leave, according to DEEP.

"Residents should remember that bears can still be active periodically in the winter," Flood said. "If you live in an area that has regular bear activity, don't let your guard down just because it has been cold and we've had some snow. It is still important to be 'bear wise' and take steps to avoid attracting unwanted guests to your home or yard."

According to an interactive town-by-town map of wildlife sightings in Connecticut, which includes categorized interactions, the following six communities had the most reported bear sightings in 2025:

• West Hartford: 1,093
• Simsbury: 671
• Farmington: 523
• Torrington: 521
• Avon: 517
• Granby: 470

DEEP Director of Communications Will Healey emphasized the sighting totals shown on the map represent the total number of reported sightings, not unique bears.

"So, within the 1,093 total sightings for West Hartford, for example, many of those could have been sightings of the same bear(s)," Healey said in an email to Patch.

In October, DEEP officials noted bears had been observed in all of the state’s 169 cities and towns.

At that time, DEEP officials said the department had documented nearly 40 bear home entries across 16 municipalities thus far in 2025.

According to DEEP's annual State of the Bears Report, bear home entries have risen significantly over the past six years and remain far higher than those reported in neighboring states.

Connecticut certainly has had its share of bear-related incidents over the past year.

In September, DEEP EnCon Police were called to a Simsbury home for a report of a bear entering a house. DEEP officials said the incident happened at about 6:30 p.m. and it entered either via a pushed-out window air conditioner or a door left open, DEEP reported.

According to the DEEP, the bear helped itself to some food and then left the home.

In late October, Derby officials said a "large bear" had been spotted in the city and advised area residents to keep an eye on their children and small pets.

That same month, a person asleep on a porch in Rocky Hill was injured after a brief encounter with a bear.

According to DEEP, a person in the area reported being asleep on a porch and waking up to find a bear, which then ran off. The person sustained "a very minor abrasion" to their leg.

Last year, DEEP offered the following additional tips to help residents avoid human/bear conflicts:

• NEVER feed bears. Intentionally feeding bears is illegal in Connecticut.
• Never toss leftover food outside “for the animals to clean up,” as that can be a source of food for bears
• Store garbage in secure, airtight containers inside a garage or storage area. Garbage for pickup should be put outside the morning of collection and not the night before. Periodically clean garbage cans with ammonia to reduce residual odor.
• Consider investing in a bear-proof trash can. Properly designed bear-proof containers are a proven method for breaking the habituation cycle by preventing bears from easily accessing human food. Discuss options for bear-proof trash receptacles with your local trash hauler, since bear-proof trash cans can be compatible with trash collection trucks.
• Do not store leftover bird seed, suet cakes, or recyclables in a porch or screened sunroom as bears can smell these items and will rip screens to get at them.
• Keep barbecue grills clean. Store grills inside a garage or shed and remove any fuel source before storing.
• Supervise dogs at all times when outside. Keep dogs on a short leash when walking and hiking. An off-leash dog might be perceived as a threat to a bear or its cubs. Dogs are required to be on a leash when visiting State Parks, State Forests, and Wildlife Management Areas. Check dog and leash regulations for town properties, land trusts, and other public properties before visiting those areas.
• Do not leave pet food outdoors or feed pets outside.
• Use fencing to protect beehives, agricultural crops, berry bushes, chickens, and other livestock.

More information about living with bears can be found on the DEEP website.