Kent Representative Maria Horn voted for two bills during the recently completed General Assembly session dealing with bears. But neither made it further.  Horn says she was disappointed and notes that there is more work to be done.  She asked for constituent input and to share their stories with her about any bear interactions.

Black bears are becoming increasingly common in Connecticut as the population continues to grow and expand.  Reports of bear sightings, even in heavily populated residential areas, have been on the rise. The Wildlife Division has also seen an increase in the number of reported problems with black bears. The primary contributing factor to bear nuisance problems is the presence of easily-accessible food sources near homes and businesses. Fed bears can become habituated and lose their fear of humans.

In the Greater Danbury area, New Milford had the highest number of bear sightings over the past year at 227.   There were also 168 in Brookfield and 119 reported in Newtown.  There were 74 reported sightings in Redding and 48 in Danbury.