The body of a dead bear seen in a Connecticut wildlife management area was in an area used to dispose of wildlife and never open to the public, according to a spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The bear, images of which were shared on social media over the weekend, was in the Sessions Woods disposal area for wildlife, according to James Fowler, senior advisor on outreach and engagement for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
“When we recover bears and they go through an autopsy, the remains of the bear are taken to this area for disposal,” Fowler said. “There are signs around there to keep the public away and it sounds like someone ventured into that area.”
Fowler said that, “after talking to the Wildlife team, we believe the incident involving the bear at Sessions Woods is related to a designated area for wildlife disposal. It appears that someone ventured past ‘No Trespassing’ signs into the area and saw the remains.”
The signs mean that nobody is permitted past them.
The post on social media, which has since either been removed or made private, claimed the bear was headless. Heads of animals often are removed when autopsies take place, or for rabies testing.
“I don’t know the specifics of this individual bear, but this is standard practice for the bears to be brought to this disposal area,” Fowler said. “There could be a variety of reasons why the head is gone. I’m not sure about this individual case.”
Bears have become more and more visible over the years in the state, and it was evident again on Saturday. There are 1,000 to 1,200 bears in Connecticut; they have been seen in every town and city.
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DEEP releases persistent messages about being bear aware, avoiding bear encounters and keeping bears away from homes, people and pets. It does education programs with schools, webinars, and in-person presentations in towns, as well as a video series: “Living with Black Bears.”
Fowler said he was unaware of any reports of a Bristol cub that was seen staggering in the area of Stafford Avenue on Saturday. Reports of that bear also circulated on social media.
Humans have had negative interactions with bears in Connecticut over the last several years, including a 74-year-old woman who was walking her dog on a leash in Avon in April 2023 was bitten by a black bear, according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
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The agency said at the time that, as public safety is its “top priority”, under the Black Bear Response protocol, “an attack on a human is a category 4 response, meaning humane euthanization of the bear.”
