Humans should avoid conflict with bears by any means, Connecticut officials say

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut officials are urging community members to avoid conflicts with bears this fall.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued a release Thursday encouraging residents to follow best practices to reduce the chances of coming into conflict with a bear.

These conflicts have been on the rise in recent years, and bears have been seen in all 169 of the state’s cities and towns. One of the reasons these conflicts are spiking is because bears are entering human homes at a higher rate.

This year, DEEP reported that there have been nearly 40 bear home entries in 16 different communities. These numbers support a concerning long-term pattern demonstrated in DEEP’s annual State of the Bears Report.

Over the past six years, bear home entries