[Updated] Bear Bites West Hartford Woman as She Defends Dog

Video interview with victim Sharon Flannery can be seen here.

[Updated] 5:00 p.m.

The female black bear that bit a West Hartford woman Wednesday morning had a history of aggressive behavior, and was euthanized for several reasons, DEEP spokesperson Dwayne Gardner said Wednesday afternoon.

According to Gardner, the same bear had been tagged three years ago when it killed a dog. Following that incident, the female bear was relocated. He did not have information about where the incident took place.

Past history of aggressive behavior would have been reason enough to euthanize the bear after it bit Sharon Flannery Wednesday morning.

Gardner also said that because Flannery received puncture wounds, the bear had to be euthanized and tested for rabies.

Flannery told officials that she kicked the bear because it was chasing her dog, and she was trying to protect her dog from the bear and was afraid it would follow the dog into her home.

Gardner said bears typically act aggressively only in response to defending their cubs, but that to the best of his knowledge, "this is the first human incident." Since the bear was located with two cubs, that could have been the reason for the behavior, he said.

Bear sightings are not rare in West Hartford, he said.

Residents should be aware that there is no need to have a bird feeder out at this time of year, and should also not leave pet food outside. "If you know bears are around, be careful when letting your pets out," he said.

[Updated] 4:40 p.m.

According to the DEEP, the bear that bit a West Hartford woman early Wednesday morning was tranquilized and removed from the scene, but was later euthanized "as a precaution."

While black bears have become increasingly common in the Farmington Valley and West Hartford over the last decade, they normally don't come into physical contact with humans, which makes this incident highly unusual.

A news release issued by DEEP Wednesday afternoon said that the mother bear and two cubs were taken to the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area in Burlington, CT. According to the release, "the sow was euthanized and as a precaution (rabies is not prevalent in black bears), tested for rabies."

DEEP said that the cubs were determined to be old enough to survive on their own and will be released into another area. According to DEEP, all three had previously been tagged.

DEEP has identified the victim as Sharon Flannery of 49 Avondale Rd. They report that a black bear attempted to attack her "small terrier-type" dog in her backyard at approximately 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

According to DEEP, "Flannery said that as she was trying to protect her dog from the bear and get it into her home, she received a puncture wound and several scratches from the bear on her lower right leg."

The DEEP advises that "black bears are rarely aggressive toward humans and attacks are exceedingly rare. Black bears are generally shy and avoid contact with people. However, if they regularly find food near houses, they can lose their fear of humans and become a problem."

Anyone who believes a bear is exhibiting aggressive behavior should contact the DEEP Wildlife Division’s Sessions Woods office at 860-675-8130 (Mon.-Fri. from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) or the DEEP’s 24-hour dispatch line (860-424-3333) during weekends and non-business hours.

Bear sightings reported by the public provide valuable information to assist the DEEP Wildlife Division in monitoring the black bear population.  Anyone who observes a black bear in Connecticut is encouraged to report the sighting on the DEEP’s website www.ct.gov/deep/wildlife or to call the Wildlife Division’s Sessions Woods office.  

Original Story:

A mother bear and her two cubs were tranquilized and removed from a residential property on Avondale Rd. in West Hartford Wednesday morning after the mother bear bit a woman the leg.

West Hartford Police said they were contacted at 7:40 a.m. Wednesday by an Avondale resident who had been in contact with a bear. According to police, she reported that the bear went after her dog and chased it up to her residence.

The victim "kicked the bear in an effort to defend her dog. In the process, she was bitten on the leg by the bear who then left the area," according to the police report.

The mother bear and two cubs were located in the yard of another residence on the same street, according to police, and West Hartford Animal Control treed the bears and kept them contained until the DEEP arrived on the scene and tranquilized all three and removed them from the area.

Kristin Adomeit, who lives in the residence at 39 Avondale Rd. where the bears were treed, was not at home at the time of the incident. "I have seen bears in the yard before but not in recent years," she said. To the best of her knowledge, all that the bears have done in the past is knock over trash cans and get into bird feeders.

DEEP officials familiar with the incident could not be reached for comment at this time. The status of the bears' relocation is unknown. Check back with Patch later for additional information.

West Hartford Police encourage residents to keep their pets on leashes and to remove access to food sources, such as bird feeders, from the bears.