Man shoots at bear attacking his goat

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has released a list of bear sightings reported to the department from May 31, 2017 to May 21, 2018. Scroll through for a look at the number of bear sightings in southwestern Connecticut towns during this period. less The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has released a list of bear sightings reported to the department from May 31, 2017 to May 21, 2018. Scroll through for a look at the number of bear ... more Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close Man shoots at bear attacking his goat 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

A Wolcott man shot at a bear after he found it inside his pen of goats.

It happened shortly around 1 a.m. Friday at the man’s property on Catering Road, officials said.

The homeowner called police to say he shot at the black bear that was attacking his goats inside the pen.

“His wife had woken him after hearing a commotion in the goat pen. The homeowner ran outside, heard the goat screaming and saw the bear attacking the goat,” police posted on Facebook.

“The homeowner, in an effort to protect his livestock, shot his shotgun in the direction of the bear, causing the bear to run into the woods. The homeowner was not sure if he did strike the bear or not.”

The goat sustained severe injuries, and needed veterinary care.

“As a reminder, never let your domesticated pets outside all alone,” police said.

So far, there have been 66 bear sightings in Wolcott, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

DEEP says bears do occasionally attack livestock like goats and chickens. It suggests protecting livestock with electric fencing and move livestock into barns at night, if possible.

In November 2017, a small female black bear was killed after it attacked two miniature horses on a Southbury farm. The bear killed one of the horses before environmental police were able to euthanize the animal, which weighed around 150 pounds.

In June 2017, a male black bear weighing more than 500 pounds was killed by the caretaker of a Kent farm three weeks after one of the farm’s pet donkeys was killed and several others injured by a bear.

In the past year, 7,674 bear sightings have been reported to the Connecticut DEEP, the agency said on its website. Each year, bear sightings are reported from about 140 of Connecticut’s 169 towns.

The increase in the state’s bear population has led to calls for legal hunting of bears in the state, Connecticut Magazine reports.