Imagine my delight when my husband shouted, “There’s a bear in the yard!”

Okay, so not everyone would be delighted. But I was.

The bear had already pushed the bird feeders down. I watched as he or she lumbered by the chicken coop (the chickens were not pleased!) and bypassed the beehives (thank goodness!). It was an exciting sight for our family, but we were also very happy to see the bear move elsewhere. That afternoon, I brought the bird feeders inside the garage. I’ll put them out again in a couple weeks.

Should you see a bear in your own yard: enjoy the sight from afar, or make a lot of noise to keep the bear moving on. Bang pots and pans, blow an air horn, whatever you’ve got. To prevent a bear from habituating to eating in your yard, be sure to keep bird feeders inside for a period of time, keep garbage cans secure, keep grills clean, and bury your compost.

The black bear population in Connecticut is healthy and growing, but it’s no reason to panic. Mostly, bears are looking for food and will eat where they can get it. They’re not particularly interested in people.

But as a word of caution, this is not a member of our local wildlife that you want to purposely feed or have familiarized with you or your family. Bears who become habituated to people can become dangerous, and may even be put down by authorities if deemed a potential danger. Save a bear’s life by keeping your distance!