Bear Shot Dead; Granby Man Charged

GRANBY, CT — A Granby man who reported killing a bear after it broke into an enclosure and killed some of his chickens has been charged with illegally taking a black bear, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Michael Gero, 39, called DEEP’s emergency dispatch Friday night, Sept. 25, to report that he had shot a bear attacking his livestock, DEEP spokesperson Will Healey said. Gero told Environmental Conservation Police he saw the bear eating a chicken in his yard before shooting it. He also said he believed a bear had killed his goats the previous month.

Gero is scheduled to appear Oct. 9 in Superior Court in Torrington.

Connecticut allows property owners to apply for a permit to kill a bear that threatens or damages livestock, but DEEP requires them to try reasonable nonlethal measures first. The state’s bear law guidance also permits deadly force in certain immediate threats to people or pets.

Gero has described an earlier encounter with a bear. In 2024, he told WFSB he chased one away with a branch after it attacked a goat. There is no indication it was the bear involved in Friday’s incident.