Full Text:

Black Bear Meets Its End On I-84 In Newtown

(with cut)

State police at Troop A barracks in Southbury report that they learned about

5:40 am Monday, May 18, that a black bear had been struck and killed while on

the eastbound lanes of Interstate 84 between Exits 8 and 9.

State police said the bear may have been struck by a passing truck.

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) removed the dead animal from the

area.

The incident is under investigation by the state Department of Environmental

Protection's (DEP) wildlife unit, state police said.

State wildlife biologist Peter Good picked up the bear from the DOT garage in

Danbury and brought it to the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management area in

Burlington for analysis.

According to Mr Good, the male bear weighed 190 pounds and was about three

years old at the time of his death. The wildlife biologist speculated that

since this is breeding season, the bear may have wandered from the woods and

onto the interstate in search of a female mate.

"Chances are it's going to happen once in a while," he said of this type of

incident.

While bear sightings in this area are rare, they do occur on occasion. Mr Good

said the bear killed in Newtown was one of only about 60 believed to be in the

state this year. Bears have been seen in the Danbury area more and more in

recent years as they move down from the heavily wooded northwestern

Connecticut, which is home to most of the state's bear population.

Bears have been living in Connecticut for the past ten years, Mr Good said.

During that time, only about three or four have ended up as road kill.

Tuesday Mr Good said he planned to examine the bear's stomach contents, remove

a tooth to determine its exact age, and save its skull for educational

display.