BRISTOL, Conn. (WFSB) – Bears visited one Bristol man\u2019s home four times in a single day as mating season brings increased wildlife activity to Connecticut neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
Ted Dziekan\u2019s security cameras captured a bear walking around his Sixth Street property on four different occasions in one day. He has contacted animal control and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and is waiting for a solution.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing back a couple times in one day, I think that\u2019s getting to be a little much,\u201d Dziekan said.<\/p>\n
Dziekan and his family have owned the property for over 100 years but have never seen bears around until now. His backyard includes a river that DEEP stocks with fish every year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trash cans are all empty. We had trash pickup yesterday, so there\u2019s no real reason to get into them,\u201d Dziekan said.<\/p>\n
Bears have been spotted throughout Bristol recently. Police issued a warning this week for bear activity at Page Park.<\/p>\n
ENCON officers have responded to 96 bear nuisance calls since April 1. Twenty of the calls have been for bears entering homes, more than usual for this time of year, according to DEEP.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have had bears pull out a window AC unit and access a house that way, push in through screen doors and windows. If you are not going to be around to attend to those windows and doors with a screen, keeping those closed,\u201d said Kyle Testerman, a wildlife biologist with DEEP.<\/p>\n
DEEP officials said it is mating season and bears are hungry. Residents should remove food sources from yards and can request bear-proof bins from trash collectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remember probably the places that you\u2019ve had your best meals. I remember where I\u2019ve had great meals. I keep going back there because I know what I\u2019m going to get. If a bear keeps getting a good reward for going there and there is no risk, they aren\u2019t getting scared away, they\u2019re going to keep going because it pays off to keep doing that,\u201d Testerman said.<\/p>\n
Dziekan said housing development has reduced bear habitat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s less and less of their natural habitat, so they\u2019re trying to do their best to find their food sources,\u201d Dziekan said. \u201cEverybody should just be cautious knowing that the population is now roaming the neighborhoods. Just be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n