Lions and tigers and.....

Bears! In Hamden! Oh my, indeed.

Monday afternoon, a 200 pound black bear was sighted in Hamden.



Apparently the poor guy was wandering around looking for food and found his way near a school and a residential neighborhood. At one point, he was sighted on the street that runs parallel to the street I live on. It's like Wild America!



Thank god Marty Stouffer is here to educate us us! The DEP estimates the state's bear population to be at least 300 and growing. In 2006, move than 2,000 sightings of bears were reported from 125 of Connecticut's 169 towns. This year there have been more than 1,800 sightings. Granby has the most sightings with 134. As the bears leave their winter dens, their natural foods are typically scarce this time of the year and as a result, they often wander into backyards where human-provided foods are sometimes plentiful.

And now you know.

Anyway, they cornered the bear in a tree and sedated him so they could take him back to "where he belongs". Um, where...outside? In a tree? I think the DEP is a little confused. If you find a bear, say, in a mall, then you should take him to the woods. But to take a bear out of one tree, only to release him near some other tree...well, our tax dollars have to go somewhere, I guess.



But the bear didn't eat anybody the story had a happy ending so I guess all is well.

Maybe next time is will be an alligator. Or a kangaroo. Now THAT would be a story.