Bear Goes For A Swim In Bethel (VIDEO)

BETHEL, CT -- Patch reader Bobbi Lyon in Bethel said Animal Control officers were already on the scene at the lake in Meckauer Park when she captured this video of a large black bear looking to beat the heat:

Animal Control Officer Seven Shanley told The Patch that his department has "been getting calls daily for a bear who has been in town for a week or two. He usually just travels from one bird feeder to another and moves on."

Shanley says the Bethel PD have alerted the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

Based upon the most up-to-date DEEP data, this ursine visitor is the 15th black bear to be sighted in Bethel in the past year.

DEEP cautions Connecticut residents to remove birdfeeders and bird food from late March through November, and to place garbage cans inside a garage or shed. Add ammonia to trash to make it unpalatable.