vp05.02.13

Residents reminded to be ‘bear aware’ this season
By Jennifer Senofonte
Staff Writer
When the February blizzard
left multiple feet of snow on the
ground, it seemed like spring would
never show its face this year, and not
just for local people.
Hibernating black bear residents
of the area have just started
leaving their dens – three of which
Farmington Animal Control Officer
Charlene Rogers has identified
within that town’s lines.
On April 20, Rogers offered an
informative presentation to folks
who were curious about a heightened
presence of these large creatures
in the area.
Farmington Valley towns were
at the top of the Department of Energy
& Environmental Protection
list for reported bear sightings in
Connecticut last year with 238 in
Farmington, 182 in Burlington, 139
in Simsbury and 126 in Avon.
Other Farmington Valley towns
– Canton and Granby – as well as
West Hartford had a decent number
of sightings, specifically 75, 63 and
37, respectively.
“Today’s presentation is called,
Why Can’t We Get Along?” Rogers
said to those in attendance in the
Yates Community
Room at the Farmington
Police Department.
“To
u n d e r st a n d
why bear encounters
and
c o n fl i c t s
occur and
how they can
be decreased
and prevented,
we
need a basic
understanding
of where
they live.”
She explained
that
black bears
were hunted
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Quick tips
-Store bird feeders away during
bear season
-Garbage should be secured
inside until pickup
-Keep grills clean
-Keep items like coffee cups
and fast food wrappers out of
cars
-Use an electric fence to keep
backyard chickens or koi fish
safe
-Never approach a bear
-Do not keep coolers in the back
of pickup trucks
-Bears, like people, react to
threats by evaluating their
potential danger – act responsibly
-Do not keep pet food outdoors
-Do not intentionally feed bears
up until 1840 when they were completely
taken out of the area. ey
began to return in the 1980s and,
today, she estimates there are about
500 to 600 bears living
in the region with an
increasing population
of 5 to 10 percent each
year.
In Farmington
today, there are 8 to 10
black bears that she
knows of that travel
around Farmington,
Avon, the reservoir
areas and New Britain. “I
know of three hibernation
places,” she said.
During the wet and
high wind weather, large
trees fall down in the
woods and they’ll dig their
dens under the soft
part where a tree was
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“It is illegal to hunt or trap black
bear,” she said, later noting that it is
legal to shoot a bear in self-defense
to protect oneself, however, “You
shouldn’t put yourself in that situation.”
ere is a 90-day sentence or
$500 fine for people who hunt or
trap black bear. If a bear is shot in
self-defense, an investigation will be
launched to confirm that fact.
Black bears have a very keen
sense of smell and hearing, Rogers
said. “Odors from carelessly stored
food, garbage cans, dumpsters,
garages, camp areas, bee hives, pet
and livestock food can lure bear
from long distances,” she said, and
they’ll keep coming back.
“Bears have a long term memory
and are capable of recalling the
location of periodic food sources
years after. … It’s an easy, no hassle
locale to return to to fatten up.”
To avoid this, she suggested
storing garbage cans in a garage or
outbuilding, rinsing out the cans on
a regular basis using ammonia or
moth balls and avoiding putting the
garbage out until the morning of
pickup.
Other steps to remember to
keep black bear out of your backyard
this summer and prevent conflicts
between human and bears in-
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clude: keep barbeque grills clean
when not in use, put bird feeders
away from April to December, double
bag food and soiled diapers, protect
gardens and fruit trees using
temporary electric fencing and
place strips of bacon on the fence to
enhance the shocking ability especially
around coy ponds and chicken
coops.
“If you do see [a bear], do not
run. Even though they’re not really
aggressive, they are naturally apt to
chase,” Rogers said. “Do not attempt
to pet a cub, this will be thought of
as being aggressive.”
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See BEARS on page 27
May 2, 2013 The Valley Press 3