Seymour police responded to a report of a bear spotted by a hiker off Tibbetts Road Tuesday.
First Selectman Kurt Miller reported the sighting on his Facebook page about 12:30 p.m.
“Please exercise caution and call the Seymour Police Department at 203 – 881-7600 if you see it,” Miller said.
Seymour Police Acting Lt. Roberto Rinaldi said the sighting was reported about 11:40 a.m. by a woman hiking in the woods off Tibbetts Road.
“A female hiker was up there walking around and I guess she came upon it,” Rinaldi said. “It really wasn’t aggressive or anything like that.”
The woman panicked and called 911 because she initially thought the bear was chasing her, Rinaldi said, but the animal did not pursue or attack the woman, he said.
Officers responded to the scene but couldn’t find the bear.
Rinaldi said police also notified the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection about the incident.
Rinaldi said anyone who sees a bear should stay away from it and call police.
“Don’t approach it or anything like that,” he said.
Miller issued the following announcement using the town’s Code Red emergency notification system about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday:
“This is Seymour First Selectman Kurt Miller with an Emergency Service Announcement utilizing the Code Red System. Around noon today, a bear was spotted in the vicinity of Tibbets Road in the Great Hill Area.
Seymour police officers have combing the area and have been in contact with Connecticut DEEP. While the bear has not been seen since the initial sighting and has probably returned back into the woods, we are asking that all residents in the area use caution.
Seymour Police will continue to actively patrol the area and will remain in contact with DEEP. Should the bear be seen again, we ask that people please call the Seymour Police Department at 203 – 881-7600.”
According to DEEP, in the past 11 months there have been:
- Nine black bear sightings in Beacon Falls
- Six in Oxford
- Six in Seymour
- Two in Shelton
Click here for a list of “Black Bear Do’s and Dont’s” from the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
