Neighbors Grab Cameras —

A Black Bear

Comes Calling

By Dottie Evans

Many people enjoy watching goldfinches and cardinals at feeders they keep filled all summer.

But when a 200-pound black bear on a snack attack visits the neighborhood and devours all the seed after destroying the feeder and then comes back for more, it is cause for concern.

Newtowners living in the area of Hanover Road have talked of little else since the July Fourth Weekend when Regina Bresson of Parmalee Hill Road first spotted a black bear eating sunflower seeds out of her bird feeder.

“He stayed around for an hour or so, rolling around on the ground while eating,” Ms Bresson recalled, adding that, luckily, she had one picture left on her roll and was able to photograph it.

Since then, many Hanover Road neighbors have seen the bear, and they are warning each other to be on the alert and take down feeders. They are hoping nothing bad happens to this bear and that it will move on soon –– perhaps go back into the nearby 800-acre Upper Paugussett State Forest.

Betty Lincoln of Echo Valley Road reported at least two sightings a week apart.

“We don’t want him hurt. He’s very cute and has such a glossy coat,” said Ms Lincoln.

Her neighbors, Donna and Scott Solomons of Albert’s Hill Road, were nervous when they saw a bear roaming in the yard.

“It was up in a tree stretching. Then it scampered away, but it came back later,” said Mrs Solomons who is worried about her children –– especially her son who is 11 and likes playing in the woods with his friends.

“The second time he was more hungry and he didn’t respond to anything –– not even when we banged and threw rocks. We had just filled the feeder and it was on a substantial pole. He pulled that feeder at right angles down to the ground,” she said.

“I called the police. Officer Robinson called DEP for permission to use a beanbag stun gun, which is a shell filled with lead weights. It gives them a serious punch but doesn’t penetrate,” she explained, but apparently the police action did not sufficiently discourage the bear.

Larry Haskel of Tamarack Road was working in his garage Tuesday afternoon when he heard a crash in the back yard. His first thought: It’s a bear.

“Nothing else could have made that much noise. I looked in the yard and the bear had pulled down the feeder and was sitting by the hammock just munching away,” said Mr Haskel, who also snapped a photo.

Ray and Anne Marie Sipherd reported “a huge black bear” in their back yard the same day. They called their neighbors Bob and Mae Schmidle, who also live on Echo Valley Road. Mr Schmidle went over to take a look, but beat a hasty retreat when he saw the size of the creature.

Anne Marie Foran-Sipherd remembers hearing a huge ruckus of crows outside scolding.

“I looked out the window and here was this big black mound of creature. He looked cute, but he had taken down the feeder and had his snout inside and was chomping away. I called the police, and they said they had already come to the neighborhood four times that day but were unable to spot it.”

“I worry about the children,” said Ms Foran-Sipherd, “because there aren’t any natural predators.”

Black bears can weigh between 150 and 300 pounds, they are omnivorous and largely vegetarian. Average longevity in the wild is 20 to 25 years. After mating in early summer, pregnancy lasts about 220 days and the cubs are born in a maternity den in January and February. The average litter size is two.

Since the 1800s, bears have made a gradual comeback in the Northeast with the reforestation that accompanied the decline of farming.

“It was only 15 or 20 years ago that we weren’t sure we had resident bears in this state,” DEP Wildlife Biologist Paul Rego told The Bee in April 2004.

Among the Newtown residents who have reported a black bear in their yards in the last two years are Bess and Eric Hutchinson, Bramble Trail off Hanover Road (April 4, 2004); David Kendall, Hanover Road north of Bramble Trail (April 4, 2004); James Wright, Tamarack Road between Echo Valley and Hanover Roads (April 7, 2004); Emma Pavao off Farrell Road in Hawleyville (April 14, 2004); Ben Pilchard, Butterfield Road off Hanover Road (April 21, 2004); Irene Kirk, Horseshoe Ridge Road near Hanover Road (May 14, 2004); Pat Anzellotti of King Philip Trail off Riverside Road in Sandy Hook (June 6, 2005); and police reported sightings that same week off Farrell Road, Nelson Lane, and Patricia Lane in Hawleyville.

Bear Encounter? Follow DEP Advice

According to Jason Hawley, wildlife technician working with Paul Rego of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), these recent Newtown sightings are most likely a young male establishing his territory.

“We’ve seen this happening in other states. In Connecticut, the core black bear area is the Northwest corner. But with their population growing, they are running out of room, and young males are expanding south.

“Most states like Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland, allow a harvest. But Connecticut is the odd man out. Eventually, it will probably come to that here,” Mr Hawley said.

“There’s a good chance this bear is on the move. Bears can go incredible distances,” he said, mentioning one individual that they had tagged that ranged back and forth from northern Massachusetts to southern Connecticut.

Mr Hawley offered the following advice for people who might encounter a bear while working in the yard or hiking in the woods.

“Do not approach or surprise the bear, but make sure it is aware of your presence. Move away slowly, but don’t run. Make some noise and walk backward until it leaves.

“In general, black bears want nothing to do with people. They are very secretive and don’t even hang out with other bears. Ninety-nine times out of 100, the bear sees you first and you don’t even know he’s there. You may never know he was there, because he’ll move off as quickly as possible.

“The best advice I can give Newtown residents is take in your bird feeders and cover your garbage. Bears are looking for a food source, which can be lots of things you wouldn’t normally think of. It can be a compost pile with anything organic in it, or a barbecue that isn’t cleaned properly.”

To call the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to report or discuss a bear sighting, call 860-675-8130 and ask for Paul Rego or Jason Hawley.