It’s Not Them, It’s Us

The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Conservation’s Wildlife Division says a common misconception about black bears in Connecticut is that bears are being seen more around residential areas because people have developed or altered their habitat to the point where there is nowhere else for the bears to go and not enough natural food for them to survive. Simply put, this is not the case.

In fact, Connecticut’s forests have a wealth of natural foods and places for black bears to live, and because there is plenty of suitable habitat, the black bear population is expected to continue to grow and expand.

The reason bears are often seen near homes is because they are looking for easily accessible food sources like garbage, bird feeders, and unprotected livestock, including backyard chickens. Data collected from GPS-collared female bears shows that in many instances, these bears are choosing more developed areas over more rural, forested areas because of the presence of these human-associated food sources.

Although present in the region when the colonists arrived, black bears actually disappeared (were extirpated) from Connecticut by the mid-1800s due primarily to the loss of forests to farmland. However, over time, with a change in land use and a decline in farming, Connecticut’s forests grew back, thus providing perfect habitat for bears to return. Seeing the bear population expand into more parts of the state is a conservation success story, not one of bears losing their homes in the 21st century.

For more on how to #BeBearAware and how to make sure your yard is free of attractants, visit portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Living-with-Black-Bears

Report black bear sightings at portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Report-a-Wildlife-Sighting