Barely does a day go by when I don’t hear someone tell me about their experience with black bears.
No wonder, as the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) estimates that as many as 1,200 bears now call the Nutmeg State home, with the largest concentration in the Northwest Corner.
Bears like Connecticut. There’s plenty of room to raise their young, a generous supply of garbage cans full of leftovers that residents leave outside and a healthy supply of stocked bird feeders. Two decades ago bear sightings were uncommon, but the population has exploded and the conflicts with humans have increased sevenfold.
Boy Scout Troop 11 found that out recently when 12 scouts camped overnight at Emery Park in town. That evening a bear happened to wander close to the encampment but, fortunately, the astute scouts had hung their food high in a “bear bag” from a tree limb. Scoutmaster Randy O’Rourke, who lives in Kent, said the size of the animal was impressive.
“He was a good 400 pounds and he took his time walking around. He was in no hurry,” said O’Rourke, who is a photographer by trade. The animal finally sauntered off after a cacophony of yelling from assistant scoutmasters Jim Young and Matt Winter, who were backed by the hooting and hollering from scouts.
Just a few days later, O’Rourke was on his way to Hotchkiss School for a photo shoot of tennis players. On Route 4 in Sharon, he saw a bear breaking into the garage through a wooden panel. O’Rourke turned his car around and drove into the property honking his horn to scare off the intruder.
“I called Jeff Hinz, the media and sports information director at the school, and said, ‘I’m at your house and there’s a bear in your garage,” O’Rourke said. “Ironically, when I called, he was reading a story about bears breaking into houses.”
There are plenty of similar stories throughout the state but especially Litchfield County. For the second time in Bethlehem, a black bear, most likely a sow, killed goats and a pig, most likely to feed her cubs.
Despite the brazen acts and close encounters with humans it’s not easy to get rid of a nuisance bear. When the DEEP receives a complaint about a bear they respond and if possible, take non-lethal measures to ensure the animal doesn’t return to the area. Farmers and homeowners can apply for a permit to shoot a nuisance intruder that is ruining crops or threatening livestock, but by the time a permit is issued the damage has been done.
The current system of managing nuisance bears doesn’t work. Animal rights groups have suggested that farmers install electric fencing to protect crops but the cost to surround large open fields is expensive and just doesn’t make much sense. The state legislature has debated the possibility of a bear hunting season, but the measure has failed several times.
A modified bill that would allow the taking of wildlife that is damaging crops or black bears that injure or kill livestock is currently under consideration. Under current law, a Connecticut resident can only kill a bear if the person “reasonably believes” they or others are going to be attacked or if the animal is entering a building occupied by people.
Really? Do we have to wait until the bear sits down on the sofa to take action? I’m surprised the public act doesn’t say, “call the police and have the bear arrested for breaking and entering.”
Last year there were 67 reported incidents of bears entering homes and seven people have been attacked by bears in the past five years. The time has come for a different approach to managing the black bear population before something far worse happens.
Dave Dunleavy was a longtime reporter and columnist for The News-Times in Danbury. He lives in Kent. The views expressed in his column are his alone and not necessarily representative of Kent News, Inc., the parent company of the Kent Dispatch.