Overview

• On July 6 a black sow with three cubs entered a Granby home through a basement screen door, took food items, and departed without harming the occupants.
• The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection conducted an area search that did not locate the bears and referred the incident to its Wildlife Division for follow-up.
• The state’s black bear population now stands at an estimated 1,000–1,200 animals, with sightings reported last year in 159 of its 169 towns and cities.
• Connecticut averages 3.7 bear home entries per 100 bears each year, a rate far higher than neighboring Massachusetts and New York, which record fewer than one per 100.
• The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and hunting advocates are calling for a limited bear hunt while the Connecticut Coalition to Protect Bears and allied groups oppose any lethal measures.