'Very Large' Black Bear Spotted In New Canaan: Animal Control

NEW CANAAN, CT ? A large black bear was spotted passing through New Canaan over the weekend, according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm.

In an interview with Patch, Halm said the bear was seen in the northern area of Smith Ridge Road, near Grace Farms, and was described as "very large."

While black bears have been spotted in New Canaan before, Halm noted a sighting at this time of year is unique.

"To be honest, I don't recall a February sighting," Halm said. "I certainly recall December, and March is common."

She also noted there is a misconception about hibernation for most of New Canaan's wild animals, as most are actually engaged in "torpor," a restless state of inactivity, at this time.

According to Halm, Saturday's warmer than usual weather likely caused the bear to emerge and walk around, something she noted could be seen again if temperatures are erratic this month.

"We could see sort of a yo-yo of [animal] behavior, if you will," Halm said.

In light of this possibility, Halm urged residents to take necessary precautions and avoid unintentionally enticing bears and other animals to their property.

"The concern would be when they wake up, they're going to wake up hungry," Halm said, "so bird feeders are really susceptible, and of course our human garbage...we just need to be careful. You don't want to step outside and have a bear in your garbage."

Halm recommended residents leave their garbage cans in a garage until trash pickup day and emphasized that bird feeders can attract animals other than birds.

"If you're feeding the birds," Halm said, "you've created a restaurant."

Halm said she maps black bear sightings in town and has noticed an increased amount of sightings in New Canaan over the past few years. While she could not say for certain what may be causing this increase, she noted the bears have likely needed to keep moving south during this time.

"Bears reproduce very slowly," Halm said, "but we are encroaching on them and keep building, so they just keep sort of moving more south, and New Canaan offers a lot of free open space."

Despite this, Halm does not think the bears will choose to stay in town, at least for now.

"There's not necessarily a sustaining food source [in New Canaan]," Halm said, "so we're confident bears won't choose to live here like coyotes and bobcats have, but that could change too."