Animal 411

Black Bear and Four Cubs Sighted on Valley Road

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Police say a black bear was sighted on lower Valley Road last Thursday afternoon with her four young cubs. 

The 4 p.m. sighting on June 1 is the first reported in New Canaan since March 21 on Ludlowe Road, also in the eastern part of town. “It is important for residents to be aware that bears will be roaming through New Canaan routinely,” Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm said. “Bears will avoid conflicts with humans, however in search of food they will venture closer to homes. Bears are attracted too, garbage cans, bird feeders, chickens, compost, gardens, bee hives and many more food sources. Hazing tools should be at the ready.”

The adult bear spotted last week had been collared and tagged as part of the state’s tracking program.

Animal 411

‘A Happy Ending’: Dog Dumped in New Canaan Finds Forever Home

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A young dog that apparently had been dumped last month on a cul-de-sac near the Country Club of New Canaan has found her forever home, officials say. Residents of the area started reporting sightings of the skittish dog to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm on April 8, the Saturday of Easter weekend, she said. “No one could get near it,” Halm told NewCanaanite.com. “It would run just at the sight of them.”

The dog could be seen lying at the end of various driveways in the neighborhood, but as soon as anyone approached, she would bolt. Seeking to get the animal into a routine, Halm set up feed bowls and a trail camera, and found that the dog was emptying them regularly. After about one week, Halm set up a large Hav-a-Heart trap.

Allyson Halm

Baby Goose Plunges to Death at Transfer Station

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A baby goose fell or leapt to its death at the Transfer Station last week, after hatching in an undetected nest on top of a former incinerator building there, officials say. Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm and New Canaan firefighters responded to the Lakeview Avenue facility shortly after 12 p.m. Friday, when a deceased gosling appeared just outside the structure. Asked about the incident, Halm said the father goose could be seen nearby with two goslings that survived the jump down under his wing. Town officials had not been aware that Canada geese were nesting atop the building, Halm said. “I was suspicious that they were up there, but it was so high, I didn’t think it was possible,” she said.

Allyson Halm

Animal Control: Officials Rescue Goose Entangled in Fishing Line [PHOTOS, VIDEO] 

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Following the rescue of a Canada goose this week, the head of New Canaan Animal Control is urging residents who fish to make sure they’re not leaving fishing line around ponds. 

With invaluable help from Chris Santopietro of Geese Relief, New Canaan Control Officer Allyson Halm said a goose that had become entangled in a line during the April 15 fishing derby at Mill Pond—and was unable to fly as a result—finally was secured on Tuesday on a nearby property. Officials were able to free the goose of the fishing line and the bird flew away on its own (see video above), fortunately uninjured, Halm said. “We know this is a very well-attended and important event but we do want to emplhasize that fishing line is one of the serious killers for our widlife that reside around ponds,” Halm said. She added, “The officials that organize the event are conscientious and they were aware of the goose that got hooked at the derby. They tried to free it but the line snapped.”

Halm said that over the following 10 days, she received several calls from concerned residents about the goose with a fishing lure visibly stuck to it.

Allyson Halm

New Canaan Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm To Retire

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The head of Animal Control in New Canaan for the past eight years, Officer Allyson Halm, is set to retire this summer, officials say. The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved the hiring of Sean Godejohn as her successor in the New Canaan Police Department position. A graduate of Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury, Godejohn holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Naugatuck Valley Community College, according to his resume. He’s worked since 2015 as animal control officer for East Haven, and did the same job in Waterbury before that, his resume said. Halm is to remain in her position during a transition period, she said, and will retire around mid-July. 

Asked how she’s feeling about that prospect, Halm said, “I am working on it.