Black Bear Spotted in Bethel

A black bear was spotted in Bethel this week on Winthrop Road, according to a resident. Click here to see where Winthrop Road is.

Police were called and the resident said the police told them there is no threat to the community. Police said in the future to report bears sightings to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP).

Nearby in Weston, the town’s Animal Control Officer Mark Harper issued a warning last Wednesday for residents to be alert because a number of residents have spotted a lot of bears recently.

“I’ve received 35 calls in the last three days about bears. They’re all over town. They’ve been spotted in the road and eating people’s lawns. While there haven’t been any ‘scary’ things reported yet involving the bears, we do want residents to take caution if they come across them,” Harper said.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection states that breeding occurs during summer months, usually in late June or early July. Black bears have a very keen sense of smell and can detect the slightest aroma of food, which may lead the bears near homes and campsites.

For more facts on black bears from the CT DEEP, click here.

If you see a bear in your area, call 9-1-1 if you feel threatened, otherwise, for bear sightings, report it to the CT DEEP’s Wildlife Division, at (860) 675-8130.

Related:

Have You Seen Black Bears in Bethel?

Photo: Jason Mrachina, Black bear cub, Flickr Creative Commons