One might assume a rural community would have the most bear sightings, but bears have increasingly been making their way into cities and busy towns searching for food.
In Connecticut, the town that has seen the most bears so far this year is Simsbury with 505 sightings reported to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection through Sept. 10.
The state tracks bear sightings, as well as bobcats and moose on its Wildlife Sighting Public Viewer.
Bears have been breaking into people’s homes at a rate that far outpaces last year.
So far, bears have entered 42 Connecticut homes in 2020, according to West Hartford News.
Last year, there were 17 reports of bears in homes.
Avon has reported the second most bear sightings in Connecticut, with 492 bears spotted so far this year.
The most bear sightings have been reported in Hartford County and in the Northeastern corner of the state.
In total, across Connecticut, more than 8,500 bears have been seen and reported to the DEEP this year.
To see a map of how many bears have been spotted in your town, go here.
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