UPDATE: Bear that Chased People in Granby Caught; Will be Euthanized

Update: DEEP officers advise that as of 9 p.m. tonight they have trapped and are removing a bear from McLean Game Refuge that they believe is responsible for today’s aggressive interactions with people, Granby police say.

The bear is expected to be euthanized because of how unpredictable it acted, officials said, according to the Hartford Courant.

Original post: Granby police and employees from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are searching for an ‘overly aggressive’ bear that chased two people at the McLean Game Refuge on Monday.

The bear never contacted the individuals, but one person was injured after running from the bear, police said.

Granby Police Capt. William Tyler said “persons are advised not to enter the McLean Game refuge in Granby today.”

“Two persons were chased by an unusually aggressive black bear in separate incidents within an hour this afternoon. One person suffered minor injuries from contact with tree branches while running. He was treated by EMS at the scene and declined transport. Local and DEEP officers are currently searching the area,” Tyler said.

DEEP spokesman Dennis Schain said Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police and wildlife experts responded to the McLean Game Refuge in Granby Monday afternoon following an unusual report that a black bear had chased two runners in the woods there.

Based on interviews with an adult man and woman who both say they encountered a bear, EnCon Police believe the bear pursued the two in separate incidents just before 1 p.m., Schain said.

EnCon Police said the male had a laceration on his back, but it is unclear whether it was the result of the bear scratching him or whether he was scraped by bushes and brush as he ran through the woods to escape the bear.

EnCon Police say the bear was probably about a year and a half old – a yearling – that weighed around 140-160 pounds. They determined this from their interviews and from a photo one of the two people involved had on their phone.

DEEP was alerted to the two incidents - which took place a short time apart in the same section of McLean – by Granby Police.

EnCon Police and the DEEP wildlife experts remain in the area attempting to track the bear. If they are able to catch it, the bear will be euthanized because of the aggressive behavior it displayed toward humans.

Patch file photo, and the actual picture of the bear seen in Granby