With spring rolling in steadily, there are a lot of major changes coming our way: warmer weather, pretty flowers, dreadful allergies and also large furry animals venturing around Connecticut. Namely, these furry animals are bobcats and bears.
Encountering a bobcat or bear is scary, but there is a proper protocol for the situation: one should appear larger by standing up tall, make a lot of noise by yelling, back away slowly without approaching, wave their arms around, and retreat to a structure or house. If with a dog, they should be kept on a leash at all times.
Some preventative measures against bears suggested include taking down bird feeders, putting away all trash and food, cleaning BBQ grills and bringing them inside, and avoiding composting sweet foods or meat. Bears are attracted to human foods like trash, petfood and bird seed, so one should make sure all food is secure and out of reach from these animals.
“Bears are attracted to food scraps, and once they find an easy source in trash bins, they are likely to return to residential neighborhoods—putting both people and wildlife at risk,” CT.gov said.
It is also important to make sure not to feed any wild animals. Feeding these animals is both illegal and dangerous, as it puts people at risks of attacks by increasing aggressive behavior. If there is an aggressive bear 860-424-3333 can help with the situation. After spotting a bear, one should also later report the sighting at [email protected] or the DEEP Website.
The warm weather isn’t the only factor increasing the bears’ and bobcats’ populations; the bobcat population in Connecticut has been on the rise these past years.
The population grew from a few hundred in 2010, to 1000 in 2019, then 6000 in 2023, and finally 4000 in 2024. This is already a huge population rise and the population is expected to increase even more, according to the Connecticut Post.
The reason for this rise is due to the fact that bobcats used to be exploited and hunted until 1972, when they became protected from human harm. From there, the population has slowly, but surely grown and now, it is not very uncommon to see a bobcat in Westport along with many other towns nearby.
“Since the population started coming back 50 years ago, the stout, bobtailed, black-spotted feline has become ubiquitous and DEEP receives reports about them in all eight counties,” the Connecticut Post reported.
The bear population in Connecticut is also growing, with sightings across all 169 towns. In addition, in the past eight years, the number of towns reporting bears with cubs has doubled.
Due to the rise in population, there has also been a rise in bear conflicts. According to CT. Gov, 67 bear home entries were reported in 2024, which is the highest ever recorded.
Josephine Lewertoph ’27 was at a sleep away camp last summer in Colebrook, Connecticut when she encountered a bear.
“I remember looking out the window of our bunk and seeing what looked like a cub,” Lewertoph said. “I felt safe as I knew I was inside but I still think it is important to understand and respect animals, especially young bears as I know their mothers can be territorial.”
It is important to respect the space of these animals and stay inside buildings or structures if they are approaching.
“Another time I saw a bear at the same sleep away camp we went on a hike and saw a bear only what seemed like a few hundred feet away from us,” Lewertoph said. “I was a little frightened at the proximity of the bear, but I think most of us were not very afraid as we knew to keep our distance and felt that we were still far away enough so that the bear would not feel the need to defend itself.”
These increases in the population of bears and bobcats may actually be helpful though, since they do keep smaller animal populations – such as deer, raccoons, and rats – from soaring by eating them.
Although bobcats and bears are predators of certain animals, they don’t aim to eat pets; however, it is possible, – mostly in the case of bobcats. Bears aren’t usually the ones to run after dogs or cats but bobcats may aim to attack small dogs and pets if they can. Bears may go after beehives, livestock or chickens if they have access to them. In both cases, electric fencing is a good way to keep pets safe and secure.
“I think it is important to keep your pets safe, especially small dogs as they are more likely to be targeted by wild animals,” Lewertoph said.
Although it is important to keep an eye on pets and small children, these animals don’t often attack humans. It is especially unlikely and uncommon for bobcats to attack, since humans are much larger than these cat-like animals. But it is important to know protocol on what to do as it seems that Connecticut is truly the place for bobcats and bears to live, which makes sense, as nearly 60% of Connecticut is forest land.
