The state of Connecticut is probably not the first place that comes to mind when you think of bears. However, the Nutmeg State is home to about 1,000 to 1,200 black bears (Ursus americanus) bears. The bears can be found throughout the state, with most concentrated in its mountainous northwestern corner.
For the first time, a mother bear in Connecticut has been spotted with five cubs. NBC4 Connecticut shared a video of the family, and Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) confirmed that it is the largest litter ever observed in the state.
Record-setting five bears spotted in Connecticut | NBC Connecticut
By the mid-1800s, humans pushed out black bears from the state by clearing forest land for farms. After farmers abandoned a number of farms in the late 1800s, forestland began to regrow and bears returned. The DEEP Wildlife Division had evidence of a resident black bear population in the 1980s, and the population has steadily increased ever since.
Bear cubs like these typically emerge in the spring. According to DEEP, mother bears will sometimes leave their cubs alone while they climb up trees to find food and are not abandoning them. It is important to leave the cubs alone—even if they are vocacalizing—and contact a local wildlife management office. Mother bears may travel over a mile while foraging, leaving the cubs unattended for up to 12 or more hours.
“Removing cubs from the wild can unintentionally orphan them if the adult bear cannot locate and reunite with the cubs,” DEEP writes.
This behavior can also happen during bad weather, and it’s important that a cub’s fur protects them from the elements and even spring’s rollercoaster temperatures.
More than 1,000 bear sightings have been reported since January in Connecticut, and that number will only increase as temperatures warm. There were over 12,000 reports of bear sightings in Connecticut last year. By comparison there were only 22 sightings in 1996. Nearby Massachusetts is home to about 4,500 bears, but Maine wears New England’s bear crown at up to 35,000 bears.
