A recent Connecticut bear attack has heightened wildlife safety awareness among local Hamden residents.
On Oct. 16, a black bear attacked a 10-year-old boy in Morris while he played in his grandparent’s backyard. A neighbor managed to scare off the bear after striking it with a crowbar, but the child required medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries.
Black bear attacks are rare, with roughly one fatal attack worldwide every year since 2000, according to PetPedia. For residents of a state with a black bear population, it is important to know the steps to take when encountering a possible attack.
Quinnipiac alumnus Michael Smith hikes at Sleeping Giant State Park once a week. Though Smith has never seen a black bear during his dozens of hikes, he said it is important to know how to respond.
He said to slip away, but if the bear spots you, be noisy and appear larger than you are, “If it’s a brown or grizzly, make good with your god.” At the Sleeping Giant, multiple bears live within the park, with 90 total sightings in 2022.
Park ranger Ken McIntyre, who has worked at Sleeping Giant for five years, has never seen a bear at the park during his tenure.
“There hasn’t been a bear sighting recently, at least to my knowledge,” McIntyre said. “I heard of one being on West Rock Ridge (State Park). Haven’t heard anything yet this year.”
Ray Vaca, a graduate student at Yale University, recently moved from California to Connecticut and made his first visit to Sleeping Giant on Friday, Oct. 21.
“Black bears are generally smaller, so if you make sounds and make your presence known, they’re usually more skittish,” Vaca said.
Sleeping Giant provides hikers with 30 trails to experience and displays a bear warning outside before entering the trails.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also lists tips on its website warning people to observe bears from a distance and if the bear does not see you, to slowly and quietly back away but continue to watch the bear while doing so.
To prevent bears from meandering near living residences, you can: remove bird feeders during the hibernation period between November – March, keep garbage pails inside your garage, actively clean your grill and don’t leave pet food outside.
You can access the DEEP warnings here. DEEP advises anyone that does see a bear in Connecticut to report it on its website.