Black Bear Spotted Eating Fawns In New Canaan: Animal Control

NEW CANAAN, CT — A black bear was recently spotted eating newborns fawns in New Canaan, according to a town animal control officer.

Allyson Halm said the bear was spotted in town Thursday and Friday and had tags on his ears, which were likely placed on the animal by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

"We experience bears migrating through New Canaan and surrounding areas on a regular basis, especially in the spring," Halm said. "This is the first tagged bear that I've observed coming through town."

The bear was first seen late Thursday morning between two yards on Logan Road, where a deer fence separated the two properties, Halm said.

"He was hanging around and we weren't quite sure why," Halm said, "but we discovered a fawn was actually trapped in the fencing. The bear could not get at it to kill it, but [the bear] was unfortunately eating it alive. It was pretty gross."

Halm said she "bear sprayed" the animal in order to free the fawn from the fence, which she was ultimately able to do, however the bear was not completely deterred.

"The bear did not leave readily because he knew the fawn was in my van," Halm said, "and I was covered in the fawn's blood, so he was hanging around and we couldn't get rid of him quite so easily."

Halm and other animal control officers continued to hang around for a while because a school bus was scheduled to drop children off in the area around that time. When the bus arrived, officers made sure the children were safely escorted off the vehicle and to their homes, Halm said.

Halm then brought the fawn to an animal hospital, however its injuries were found to be too extensive and the young animal was humanely euthanized, she said.

Around 8 a.m. the following morning, Halm received word that the same bear was spotted on Lost District Drive, so she and some other officers went over to patrol the area and check on the animal.

"We're not there to bother the bears," Halm said. "We just want residents to know it's in the area so dogs can be kept indoors. These bears are migrating through [town]. There's nothing we can really do about that, and we do want to just leave them alone."

While in the area, landscapers flagged Halm down and called her attention to the bear lying down against a gated property and eating another fawn.

"We kept our distance and let the bear do what the bear does naturally," Halm said. "He ate the fawn, eventually picked up the carcass and wandered off a little bit, only because the landscapers on the other side of the fence were now weed-whacking and mowing the lawn. That got him a little restless and he moved on."

Halm said they kept an eye on the bear for about an hour to "make sure that he didn't get himself into any other trouble," and the animal ultimately wandered off into the woods.

"In my opinion, this particular bear seemed a little too comfortable with our presence," Halm said. "We did try some hazing techniques. I had the air horns, I had the bear spray, and he was not overly deterred."

Halm also called DEEP and voiced concerns about how comfortable the bear appeared to be in town, noting she had videos of him crossing residents' lawns and walking right up to the front porches of some homes.

According to Halm, the bear was last seen crossing over Smith Ridge Lane.

"We believe he's probably now back in New York," Halm said. "He's had quite a migratory path from what I was told by the wildlife division. He started out in Waterbury, was in Greenwich and now was looping back around, and that's how he cut through New Canaan."

Halm said there is an increase in bear sightings in town at this time of year, typically young males that have been disowned by their mother and are now roaming to find a comfortable territory.

"We are encouraging residents to haze when they see a bear," Halm said. "Don't stop and take a picture. Make a lot of noise, blow your horn, [bang] pots and pans; anything you can to deter the bear from...approaching your yard and your house is a good thing to do."

The aim of such tactics is to let a bear know that humans are something to worry about and fear, Halm said.

"We want to increase their flight drive," Halm said, "so anytime they see us, they should worry and move on quickly."