Bear On The Move Seen Several Times Thursday In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — A bear was spotted several times Thursday in Greenfield Hill, Fairfield officials said.

The animal was first reported on Catamount Road, then on Banks North Road and finally on Congress Street, according to Animal Control Officer Paul Miller.

The bear seen Thursday is believed to be the same animal who crossed through multiple residential properties Wednesday in northern Westport, putting its paw on a man who was outside gardening and entering an unoccupied sun porch.

“We do think it was the same bear,” Miller said in an email, indicating there were red tags on the ears of the animal during both the Fairfield and Westport sightings.

The reports in Fairfield and Westport came days after a black bear was spotted eating newborn fawns in New Canaan.

There have been 17 recent black bear sightings in Fairfield, according to a map maintained by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

About a month ago, bears were reported near Lake Mohegan, and, before that, a bear was captured on video eating from bird feeders in a yard on Hemlock Hills Road North in Greenfield Hill, News12 reported at the time.

To avoid attracting bears, residents should minimize access to potential food sources, such as bird feeders, pet food, garbage, compost, grills, and fruit bushes or trees, Fairfield Animal Control said in a Facebook post June 1. People should not approach bears or try to feed them, and should instead make noise from a safe distance in order to scare the animals into a wooded area.

Anyone who sees a bear in Fairfield can contact animal control at 203-254-4857. If the animal is behaving aggressively or refusing to leave a residential area, people should call the police department at 203-254-4800.

For more information, visit portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Nuisance-Wildlife/Living-with-Black-Bears.