An elderly woman with a walker likely got the shock of her life when a black bear casually strolled up behind her. The animal took a leisurely walk through a Hartford, Connecticut, suburb.
The incident happened on June 11 with two black bears entering the neighborhood. One of the bears walked dangerously close to the woman with a walker. Fortunately, according to ABC-affiliated station WTNH, the woman's caretaker spotted the animal and helped get the woman home.
Her son-in-law, Bob Mitchell, told the outlet. "She was coming in, they were both white, trying to get through the door, and she goes 'There's a bear.' "
"It doesn't matter to her, she's tough," he also added.
Meanwhile, the two bears approached a woman's 13-year-old daughter near the bus stop.
Jeannette Dardenne said, "She got off and I got a phone call, she said in a really calm voice, 'Mom there is a bear in front of me,' and I said 'Okay,' and she kind of paused and said 'there are two bears in front of me.' "
Black Bear Follows Woman
"I think she was more like, 'It's beautiful', and I think it was also a lesson for her to recognize that there are wild animals here and you do have to take note," Dardenne added.
"Reports of bear sightings, even in heavily populated residential areas, are on the rise. The Wildlife Division has also seen an increase in the number of reported conflicts with black bears," it added.
The department stated, "The primary contributing factor to human-bear conflicts is the presence of easily-accessible food sources near homes and businesses."
The post continued, "As the bear population continues to grow and expand its range in Connecticut, and bears become increasingly food-conditioned, conflicts will continue to increase. Food-conditioned bears pose a greater risk to public safety and often cause more property damage to houses, cars, pets, and livestock."
