A Connecticut family's joyful afternoon basketball game turned into a scary encounter when a curious black bear wandered onto their property. WFSB 3 Eyewitness News It shows moments of fear.
In the video, Simsbury resident Kristen Lee and her sister are seen sitting in lawn chairs in front of three young children, including a toddler. The children are playing basketball in the driveway. Suddenly, a black bear appears from behind the women and slowly moves toward the sidewalk. The oldest child, who has an admirable sense of self-preservation, simply shouts, “Bear!” and runs away toward the house.
The little boy screams, which eventually alerts the adults to the curious creature lurking behind them. They rush to grab the children and take them inside. One woman can be heard struggling with the screen door, saying, “How do you close this?” After a moment of silence, another shouts, “Oh my God!”
However, the bear seemed to have no interest in the family. Lee later reiterated this point, WFSB3In the footage, as he drives through the family's driveway, he doesn't find the place very appealing.
'The bear is coming!!!'🐻
A family #Simsbury He captured this unexpected encounter on camera.
📷Kristin Leehttps://t.co/zqDST333dI pic.twitter.com/rK8JWBQuoV— WFSB Channel 3 (@WFSBnews) August 22, 2024
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection confirmed to the news agency that the state’s black bear population has increased significantly in recent years. Since 2023, residents in 165 of Connecticut’s 169 towns have reported seeing bears. Just a few weeks ago, in a town about 50 miles from Simsbury, a golden retriever chased a menacing black bear away from a four-year-old boy
“With bear numbers increasing in the state, it is important for residents to learn the facts about black bears and how to coexist with them,” the department warned.