Greenwich residents are being urged to lock doors, close windows and remove anything that smells like food from their yards after black bears broke into more than 50 Connecticut homes so far in 2026, already surpassing last year's total.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection released the figures Wednesday, Aug. 12, calling the surge in home entries "one of the clearest indicators of the increasing public safety risk resulting from human-bear conflicts." The break-ins have occurred in nearly two dozen municipalities statewide, up from 18 in all of 2025.
Bears have now been spotted in every one of Connecticut's 169 cities and towns, including Greenwich. The Greenwich Police Department issued a bear advisory in August 2025 after confirmed local sightings, noting that encounters were becoming increasingly common in the area during warmer months when bears are most active.
Fairfield County sits within the breeding range of Connecticut's black bear population, which DEEP estimates at 1,000 to 1,200 animals. GPS-collared female bears have been tracked in the county, according to DEEP's 2026 State of the Bears report.
The state averages four bear home entries per 100 bears each year. Massachusetts and New York, which have far larger bear populations, each see fewer than one per 100 bears annually. DEEP attributes the gap to food conditioning: bears that repeatedly find birdseed, trash and pet food near homes lose their fear of people.
"Every resident has a role to play in protecting our communities by securing food sources which will help keep bears wild and neighborhoods safe," Acting DEEP Commissioner Emma Cimino said in the Aug. 12 advisory.
One Connecticut homeowner told the Hartford Courant the house was unattended for only about 45 minutes before a bear pushed through a screen door, opened cabinets and scattered food across the kitchen floor.
How to keep bears out
DEEP's prevention checklist includes:
- Keep scented items away from porches, decks, doors and windows
- Place lids on indoor kitchen trash cans to limit odors
- Avoid storing food or freezers in garages with weak doors
- Close and lock ground-floor doors and windows
- Do not rely on a locked screen door to stop a bear
- Lock vehicles and remove all food from them
Greenwich residents who spot a bear can call the police non-emergency line at (203) 622-8004 or CT DEEP's Wildlife Division at (860) 424-3011. For a bear acting aggressively or posing an immediate threat, call 911. DEEP's 24-hour Emergency Dispatch Center is reachable at 860-424-3333.
Additional safety resources are available at bearwise.org.
