Bear 211 Dies; Fairfield County Animal Had Large Online Following

EASTON, CT — A bear who amassed a large online following as Fairfield County residents tracked its adventures across the area died after it was struck Monday in a hit-and-run crash, authorities said.

“Bear 211,” named for the number on its state-administered ear tags, was hit about 6:15 p.m. on Route 136 near Wilson Road in Easton, according to police. When officers arrived, the driver was gone and the bear was suffering from serious injuries requiring euthanasia, police said.

As the bear traversed Connecticut over the past few months, it made headlines across the tri-state area, and a Facebook group was created for residents to report sightings. As of Tuesday, the group had nearly 5,000 members, who, in recent weeks, had seen the bear in Fairfield, Easton, Weston and Westport. Bear 211 spent the Fourth of July in North Stamford, according to one poster, and before that it crossed state lines into Armonk, New York. Earlier sightings included June 11 in Greenwich, May 21 in Trumbull and May 17 in Seymour.

“RIP 211,” group member Roy Berger wrote Tuesday afternoon, just minutes after police posted the news on Facebook. “We enjoyed your company when you visited us a few weeks ago. You’ll be missed. You were so much smarter than the average bear.”

Bear 211 seemed to enjoy the creature comforts it found in the yards it visited. The bear was known to take a dip in a pool or play with toys. It sampled bird food and watermelon. During one recent sighting Saturday in Fairfield, it cooled off on a splash pad, tried to enter a home, and, when that failed, flopped in a hammock.

Bear sightings are on the rise in Connecticut, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which warned that bears that are fed can lose their fear of humans.

Bears are attracted to food and garbage, the department said, so residents are encouraged to take down bird feeders from March to November, and to keep garbage cans and grills in a garage or shed. People should not feed or approach bears, nor should they leave pet food out overnight, add meat or sweets to compost, or store leftover bird food or recyclables in a screened-in area, according to the department.

“If a bear is seen in your town or neighborhood, leave it alone,” the department website said.

Bears in densely populated areas warrant a call to either the department’s Wildlife Division during business hours at 860-424-3011 or its 24-hour dispatch at 860-424-3333. For more information, visit portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Nuisance-Wildlife/Living-with-Black-Bears.