HARTFORD, Conn., Sept. 1 (UPI) — Connecticut wildlife officials said a black bear encountered by a woman in a viral video was showing aggressive behaviors and could be dangerous to humans.
Stephanie Rivkin posted videos to YouTube and on her Facebook page late last week showing her encounter with two black bears while walking in the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area.
One of the bears, a young male with tags, shows a particular interest in Rivkin and even touches her leg with his mouth at one point in the videos.
“There weren’t a whole lot of things going through my head other than keep filming and if I die they’ll have a video and know what happened to you,” Rivkin told WTIC-TV.
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The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said the tagged bear, which is about 1 1/2 years old and weighs approximately 150 pounds, has approached humans before. The department said the bear will be euthanized.
State wildlife biologist Jason Hawley said the bear was showing subtle aggressive behaviors in Rivkin’s videos and the woman was lucky to have evaded injury.
“This is very rare behavior in black bears but it’s classic testing, predatory behavior,” Hawley said. “At one point the bear actually starts popping it’s jaws,” Hawley said, “That’s actually a sign of aggression in bears.”
He said the bear’s stomping toward Rivkin in the footage is an aggressive behavior commonly seen in male bears during mating season.
DEEP officials said the same bear was involved in incidents earlier this year including being found circling the fence at Bradley International Airport, following a woman leaning against a glass door in Windsor and breaking into a home in Granby.
“You put the whole story together so all these behaviors together and it’s pretty disturbing behavior and it’s definitely a bear that needs to be removed from the population,” Hawley said.
