HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — An uptick in bear sightings has one state lawmaker urging the legislature to revisit the potential of creating a bear hunt.
Rep. Karen Reddington-Hughes (R-District 66) introduced a lottery bill this session.
The black bear population has gotten large and brazen. In October, a 10-year-old boy playing in a Morris backyard was mauled by a bear. There have been multiple sightings elsewhere, including a bear that was attempting to break into a Canton home.
“The proper role of government is to protect property, and their residents,” Reddington-Hughes said. “This bill that I’m proposing would encompass both.”
If passed, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection would oversee the process.
“I think that DEEP would have to examine what were the timeframes where bears’ activities were really causing the havoc that they have been,” Reddington-Hughes said.
News 8 has reached out to DEEP for comment on the bill.