As local Animal Control officials had anticipated, New Canaan saw its first black bear of the year on Tuesday morning.
This black bear was photographed on an Oenoke Lane property on May 31, 2016. Credit: Tom Nissley
A sighting was reported around 8:30 a.m. in the area of Oenoke Lane, Seminary Street, Oenoke Ridge Road and Elm Street, according to a bulletin published by the town through email, text and robocall.
Officials are urging residents to “take in bird feeders and bird food at night, do not feed domestic pets outside.”
“Place garbage cans inside a garage or shed—add ammonia to trash to make it unpalatable,” the bulletin said.
Oenoke Lane resident Tom Nissley told NewCanaanite.com that he first spotted the bear at about 10 p.m. Monday.
The animal’s movement triggered an automatic porch light outside, and when he looked beyond, Nissley said he spotted “a large profile.”
“I knew it was a bear and I realized this morning that it had been playing down [near] a birdfeeder,” he said.
The property’s manager looked saw the bear again this morning, and after Nissley contacted Animal Control, police arrived and found the bear up a tree.
New Canaan had five black bear sightings between April and September last year.
Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section spotted a black bear loping across Cheese Spring Road last summer, just days into the job.
The omnivorous mammal had been spotted on Weed Street in October 2014 and then made headlines in New Canaan last April, when a family (rescue) dog alerted his family to a black bear that had entered the rear porch of a residence. After a black bear was spotted in June on Thayer Pond Road, officials urged New Canaanites to ensure their garbage cans and birdfeeders were secured, town officials issued a list of do’s and don’ts. A final sighting occurred in Hoyt Farms in September.
Other tips from the town include:
- Clean and store grills away after use.
- Do not allow dogs outside without a leash (especially if they start barking in the early hours of the morning. Pet doors should be closed for the evenings.
- Protect livestock with electric fencing and move into barns at night.
- Reinforce beehives to prevent them from being knocked over or protect them with electric fencing.
“Beginning in the 1980s, the DEP Wildlife Division had evidence of a resident black bear population” in Connecticut, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
“The mere presence of a bear does not necessitate its removal,” the DEEP says. “In most cases, if left alone, the bear will make its way to a more natural habitat. Removing food attractants, such as bird feeders, reduces the chance that bears will go near homes.”
The animals typically breed in the summer, and cubs are born in January and February. At two years old, the young bears typically leave their mothers and the males especially will begin to travel great distances to stake out their territories.
According to Halm, those of the very bears that New Canaanites saw last year and will see again this spring.
“I was under the impression that they’re young males that are sort of roaming through,” she has said.
Report any sightings to the New Canaan Police Dept at 203-594-3500.
NewCanaanite.com will have more information as soon as it becomes available.
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