Allyson Halm

Black Bear Sighting on Ludlowe Road

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New Canaan’s Animal Control officer is urging residents to be mindful of unintentionally leaving food sources out in their yards after a black bear attracted to a bird feeder was spotted on a Ludlowe Road property late Tuesday. The bear sighting is the sixth reported so far 2023, all of them on the east side of town, according to Officer Allyson Halm. 

In a perfect world, bird feeders “should be put away at dusk or put on a pulley system so you can raise them away from a bear’s reach, far away from the house, if possible, because if a bear gets curious—and they are curious—and there’s food and a back door open, that could be a problem,” she said. “It goes for any type of food source. It’s really important not to feed your dog or cat outside and to understand that a bird feeder will attract them, as will chickens and beehives.”

The last series of black bear sighting reports that Halm received were up on North Wilton Road in January, she said, and in those cases the animals appeared to be attracted to garbage bins. The bear sighted on Ludlowe this week likely was a young male seeking to establish his “territory,” Halm said.

Animal 411

Missing New Canaan Puppy Is Found [PHOTOS, UPDATED]

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Update 3:30 p.m. Sunday

Jack Hellmann, Corbit’s owner, shared the following post with New Canaanite:
“Thanks to our amazing neighbors, the article in the New Canaanite, the kindness of people throughout New Canaan, and New Canaan Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm, Corbit is happily asleep at home after an afternoon pick-up at the Stamford Police Station/Animal Shelter.  Our family could not be happier or more grateful.  Our friends and neighbors mobilized and searched well into last night and at sunrise this morning, hiking trails with headlamps and walking every street in our area. Thanks to the New Canaanite article, we met a jogger at 7:00am who decided to run in our part of town just to help look for the puppy; and we met another individual at 7:30am who picked up his coffee at Starbucks and then scoured every corner of Watson-Symington— New Canaanites who we had never met before, just wanting to help.  And finally, Officer Halm saw the article in the New Canaanite and recalled that Corbit might fit the description of a small dog reported in Stamford— so despite it being her day-off, she went to the shelter to confirm her hunch. She was right and we immediately received the phone call to pick him up this afternoon.  While we would not recommend 22 hours of sleepless uncertainty while searching for a lost puppy, our appreciation for our New Canaan community is more profound than ever.  Thank you.” Update 10:50 a.m. Sunday

The New Canaan puppy that went missing Saturday afternoon on the west side of town, has been found, officials say. New Canaan Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm said Corbit was found Saturday and turned into Stamford Animal Control, where he spent the night.

Animal 411

Multiple Black Bear Sightings on North Wilton Road

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Following multiple sightings in town this week, New Canaan Police are reminding residents that bird feeders, compost and garbage cans left out will attract black bears. A black bear was seen on North Wilton Road at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm, and then two more were seen together on the same road in northeastern New Canaan on Wednesday afternoon. She urged residents to have hazing tools on hand, such as horns that make loud noises, and bear spray. “Knowledge about hazing is important and please do not feed bears,” Halm told NewCanaanite.com. 

She added, “A fed bear is a dead bear.”

Halm’s tips on coexisting with black bears include:

Do not hang bird feeders on porches, decks or patios. Take bird feeders in at dusk.

Animal 411

Animal Control Raises Concerns After Reports of ‘Friendly’ Fox Living Near the Downtown 

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Officials say the town has received numerous reports in recent weeks of a “friendly” fox living in the area of Richmond Hill Road and Park Street, raising concerns about too much familiarity with the animal. Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section, said she’s been told that “the fox shows little fear and has appeared to follow people, even those walking dogs.”

“In the photo the fox appears young, healthy and has good weight to it,” Halm said, referring to the image above. “The concern is that this fox is being fed regularly by someone which would explain the lack of fear towards humans and the weight this fox has. Wild animals that associate humans with food present a risk to all and most likely won’t end well for this fox.”

The town has seen an increasing number of foxes denning and living downtown, with known litters on Maple Street, Harrison Avenue and Lakeview Avenue. A large litter of fox kits born in Lakeview Cemetery made headlines in 2016.

Allyson Halm

Local Woman Ticketed (Again) for Off-Leash Dogs

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Police this month issued a $136 ticket to a local woman for violating a town ordinance regarding off-leash dogs in public places. New Canaan resident Amanda Coulon has incurred hundreds of dollars in fines for allowing her dogs off-leash in areas that include the high school and Waveny. She has said in the past that she doesn’t believe in the town’s dog leash ordinance. Under Section 6.8 of the Town Code: “Except in a dog run established by the Town, no person shall bring any dog into any public park, public playground, public school grounds, public parking lot, public street or sidewalk unless the dog is on a leash or lead that is no more than 25 feet in length and under the control of its owner or keeper at all times.”

Asked about the most recent incident, Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm said Coulon appeared on the morning of Nov. 10 (a Thursday) near the gravel parking area between the Spencer’s Run lot and kids’ soccer fields at Waveny.