The Connecticut Department of Environmental & Energy Protection offers the following tips to coexist with bears.

*Be bear aware and remember, bears can be found anywhere in Connecticut.

*Manage food, garbage, and other attractants with bears in mind.

Bear-resistant trash cans are successfully used by more residents each year. Talk to trash haulers to see if they are available in your area.

*Remove all traces of bird food, including hummingbird feeders.

*Use suitable electric fencing to exclude opportunistic bears from damaging livestock, beehives, fruit trees, and more.

*If a bear is seen in a neighborhood, leave it alone, give it an escape route, keep dogs leashed, and do not get closer trying to get a better look or take a photo.

*Scare away bears that are loitering around your home or looking for human-related foods. Do your best to prevent troubling bear behavior before it starts.

Visit portal.ct.gov/deep/wildlife/living-with-black-bears to learn more.