WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — It's that time of year again where bears roam backyards or are seen walking through neighborhoods.
FOX61 has received many pictures and videos of bear encounters from viewers so far this spring. Race and Culture reporter Raquel Harrington took a video at the West Hartford Reservoir, a mama bear and two cubs seen walking down the path.
Bear sightings are extremely common this time of year. According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, there were 8,600 bear sightings reported last year from 156 out of 169 towns across the state.
"If the bear doesn’t know you're there take a minute and enjoy the view but then make sure the bear does know you're there. You can walk away quietly, some bears will be oblivious to the fact that you're there or if the bear does see you make a lot of noise, wave your arms and talk to the bear loudly," said Jenny Dickson, the director of the Wildlife Division for DEEP.
Dickson also said to keep in mind this time of year bears are out looking for food after sleeping all winter. That’s why it's important to remember bears will be attracted to backyards if there's anything out there they can eat.
"It also starts to get bears in the bad habit of associating backyards with food and that’s something we don’t want. It basically trains them to do something that could cause problems later on so we really recommend people take their bird feeders inside this time of year when bears are active," said Dickson.
The DEEP said to keep a safe distance. Don’t walk towards the bear at all, and keep an eye on pets if they’re outside and make sure they're on a shorter leash for more control.
Do not feed the bears at all, whether intentionally or un-intentionally, don’t keep bird feeders out or your pets food outside. Keep your trash can closed and only put it out the night before collection because bears are attracted to trash too.
Bear sightings can be reported to DEEP's website.
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