A black bear was spotted poking around the woods near Zbynek Stupka’s house Sunday morning.
Stupka shot a video that shows the bear wandering near Hillside Circle.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has reported 59 black bear sightings in Brookfield from April 10, 2016 to April 5.
Over the same period, 288 have been reported in Southbury, 224 in New Milford, 106 in Newtown, 78 in Roxbury, 63 in Kent, 63 in Washington, 60 in Sherman, 58 in New Fairfield, 57 in Redding, 48 in Danbury, 17 in Bethel, 17 in Bridgewater and eight in Ridgefield.
More than 6,500 bear sightings have been reported across the state.
DEEP warns residents on its website never to feed bears, lest they become accustomed to it. Residents also should avoid leaving pet food outside or putting meat or sweets in the compost pile, according to the department.
Nor should residents approach an animal in an attempt to get a photo or video, the department states.
“Often a bear will climb a tree to avoid people,” the department writes on its website. “A crowd of bystanders will only stress the bear and also add the risk that the bear will be chased into traffic or the crowd of people.”
The department encourages residents to remove bird feeders and bird food from late March through November. Residents should also leave garbage cans and cleaned grills inside a garage or shed, so that bears are not attracted to them for food, according to the department.
If residents see a bear in a densely populated area, they should call the DEEP Wildlife Division (860-424-3011, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) or DEEP Dispatch (860-424-3333, 24 hours). The department could decide to remove the bear if it is unlikely to leave on its own or may dart into a group of people.