No lions, no tigers, but we do have bears
- Mark Jahne
- Aug 1
- 6 min read
Animal control officer provides safety tips
by Mark Jahne
Editor
It’s one thing to look out the window and see a skunk, possum or raccoon in the yard. It’s something else altogether if you see a 300-pound black bear.
The Farmington Valley towns and West Hartford have been the hotbed of bear activity for many years. People who live there have grown accustomed to their presence.
These giants of the forest are slowly expanding their range. While sightings in this town are infrequent, they do live among us now, and it’s important to know what to do if you encounter one in a neighborhood, park or other setting.
Cheryl Gagnon is the animal control officer for the Cromwell Police Department. Bear sitings here are infrequent, but they indicate that these massive animals do live among us.
“We don’t have a lot. They’re primarily on the west side of town. The people over there have gotten used to them,” she said. “We did have a family come through last August, a mom with three or four babies.”
CT DEEP photo
She offered some general advice for dealing with wildlife.
“We have foxes and coyotes. We have a lot of them,” Gagnon said.
She should be called if they appear to be acting strangely because rabies and distemper can occur in these and many other creatures. She strongly encouraged people to keep their dogs in check.
“Keep your dogs on leashes. Take your retractable leashes and throw them away,” she said.
Dogs may want to chase a bear or other wild animal. Retractable leashes can break and that greatly complicates matters. Dogs and bears are a bad mix.
“Turn on the outside lights and scan the yard before letting them out. This goes for all wildlife, not just bears,” she added.
Electronic dog fences do not keep wildlife out.
“Your garbage can is a restaurant” to a hungry bear, so keep it secured
Gagnon handles all types of animal calls, not just dogs. Several years ago, she had to deal with a female moose that surprisingly popped up along Main Street. It was tranquilized and removed to a safer habitat.
“I had a case last year when I had to take some snakes out of a house,” she recalled.
If a bear is deemed dangerous, the police department will contact the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Its conservation officers will shoot it with a tranquilizer dart and move it to a safer area.
The following information is from BearWise, an organization that helps people to live safely and responsibly with black bears.
Never feed or approach bears. They will defend themselves if you get too close for comfort. A mother bear who is protecting her cubs can become extremely aggressive.
Bears are curious and have a powerful sense of smell. They will follow anything with an odor and investigate anything that they have learned can yield a food reward such as garbage, bird seed, pet food, beehives and more.
The best way to keep bears away is to make sure there are not any food sources on your property that will attract them. Once they find a food source, they are likely to return.
They are attracted to the burned fat and scraps of meat on barbecue grills. People are advised to thoroughly clean grills and smokers after each use and keep them covered.
To keep bears away from the trash make sure the cans are cleaned often to reduce odors and that recyclables are rinsed and cleaned. Put garbage cans out the morning of collection, not the night before. Food should not be left in cars or trucks that are parked outdoors.
Do not feed the birds when bears are active in the area. Birds have plenty of natural food available and bears will devour the contents of bird feeders and probably destroy them in the process.
Do not store bird seed inside screened porches or in sheds. Bears will tear the screens and break windows to access this seed. Pets should only be fed indoors and food should not be placed outside for wild or stray animals or outdoor pets.
If you have fruit trees, pick the produce daily and remove any fallen fruit from the ground. Do not use fertilizers that contain blood meal or bone meal. Do not place meat, bones, fish, oil, grease, dairy products, eggshells or fruit in a compost unit.
There are certain outdoor features that are difficult to remove and that bears find attractive. These include nearby woods and dense bushes, trees and plants that produce berries and acorns, and water sources such as swimming pools, hot tubs, streams and other landscape water features.
Keep the garage door closed. Do not leave coolers with food and drinks on porches, patios, decks or in the car. Barricade crawl spaces and other areas under the house prior to hibernation season. Screen doors and window screens will not deter bears if they are following a food aroma.
It is also advised to alert your neighbors to any bear activity.
Pet owners need to know that bears and dogs do not get along. According to BearWise, more than half of the incidents involving people and black bears between 2010-2015 involved dogs. Forty-six percent of those dogs were killed or injured and 62 percent of the people were injured.
In many cases, the dogs were off leash and chased and/or cornered the bear. Those that were not killed or injured ran back to their human partner with an angry bear in pursuit.
Black bears evolved in forested habitats where they learned to respond to danger by climbing a tree or disappearing into the woods. When those options are not available, their instinct for self-preservation will lead them to defend themselves and their food sources.
A dog that interrupts a bear’s meal is putting itself in danger. A person who comes between the dog and the bear is risking his or her life.
BearWise also offers the following advice on how to safely haze a bear to make it leave and give you time to remove or secure any food items that are attracting it. The latter is important because if there is nothing to attract a bear it will move on and is less likely to return.
• Never approach, corner or chase a bear.
• Stand in a safe place. Bring children and dogs inside.
• Be sure the bear has an escape route away from you.
• Stop hazing when the bear escapes or climbs a tree.
• If the bear approaches, do not run, this will trigger an instinct to chase you. Use bear spray repellant.
• Understand that hazing a bear is done at your own risk.
People can scare away bears by asserting dominance such as making eye contact and waving arms above the head to give a sense of being big. Noise is a powerful deterrent: yell, blow a whistle, car horn, air horn, clap your hands, bang pots and pans. Another option is to have motion-activated lights, alarms and water sprinklers.
Bears should be scared away when they are eating garbage, bird seed or pet food, near a vehicle, building, garden or campground. Do not haze a bear if it would chase the animal into the street or toward other people and animals.
Leave bears alone if they are in a natural area where they belong. Do not haze bear cubs because this will agitate the mother.
Call police animal control or another wildlife agency if the bear is highly agitated, sick, injured, approaching people or not responding to hazing.
The website wildlifehelp.org points out that wildlife agencies only euthanize bears that pose a serious threat to public safety. People are advised to call a local wildlife expert, such as police animal control, with any questions or complaints related to a specific bear and report any injuries to humans, pets or livestock.
If a person or pet is scratched or bitten by a bear a doctor or veterinarian should be called immediately. CL
If you see a bear in your neighborhood, call the police department routine phone line at 860-635-2256. The dispatcher will pass along your information to an animal control officer and/or patrol officer.