A 200-pound female black bear that chased a dog and attempted to follow it into a West Hartford home was tranquilized and later euthanized today by state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officers.



The dog's owner was injured while trying to get the dog safely into the house, DEEP said in a news release. The bear entered the yard with her two yearling cubs, which were also tranquilized and will be released into an appropriate wooded area.



DEEP said that at about 7:30 a.m. West Harford resident Sharon Flannery reported that the bear had attempted to attack her small terrier-type dog in the family's back yard and continued to chase the dog as it ran toward the house. She told DEEP 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 bear and the cubs then fled the yard and ran up a tree in an adjacent yard. Flannery dialed 911 to report the incident and was later treated and released for her wounds at a local medical facility.



DEEP's Environmental Conservation Police, wildlife biologists from the agency and West Hartford Police responded and located the bears. The bears were tranquilized and taken to DEEP's Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area where the sow was euthanized and tested for rabies. The yearlings were evaluated and deemed to be old enough to survive on their own and will be released into another area. All three bears had previously been tagged by DEEP's Wildlife Division.



DEEP said incidents like this one are rare, but when a bear appears to exhibit aggressive behavior, residents should contact the DEEP Wildlife (860) 675-8130 or DEEP's 24-hour dispatch line (860) 424-3333.



Bear sightings reported by the public provide valuable information to assist the 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 at: www.ct.gov/deep/wildlife or to call the Wildlife Division.

