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With Bear Population On The Rise, Connecticut Officials Offer Safety Tips

HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- The bear population in Connecticut is thriving, and conservationists regard that as a huge victory since bears had nearly disappeared.

Bill Hyatt, who heads the state Bureau of Natural Resources, said because of the animals' growing numbers, it's likely bears might turn up in backyards or on picnic grounds.

Residents, however, should know that aggressive behavior by black bears is very rare, Hyatt told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau.

With Bear Population On The Rise, Connecticut Officials Offer Safety Tips

"We need to stress that point. It's very rare," he said. "However, it can be made more likely by human behavior that causes the bears to become familiar and unafraid of humans."

And that happens, Hyatt said, when people feed bears or leave garbage around. Once the bear regards a human as a food source, the animal quickly loses its fear, and then the situation may become dangerous, Hyatt said.

WEB EXTRA: What To Do If You Encounter A Bear

The warning comes after a Rutgers University student was attacked and killed by a bear last week while hiking with friends in the Apshawa Preserve in New Jersey.

The group of five hikers encountered the bear, became frightened and ran in different directions after the bear began following them, police said.

Hiker Darsh Patel, 22, may have twisted his ankle and fallen, becoming separated from his friends.

The group noticed Patel was missing once they got to safety and immediately called police.

A search team found Patel's body, and police said evidence indicated he had been attacked by a bear.

The cause for the attack remains unknown. The hikers had granola bars and water with them, but there is no indication they fed the bear, officials said.

On Tuesday, a bear eluded authorities in a Ridgewood, New Jersey, neighborhood for hours before finally being shot out of a tree with a tranquilizer dart. The bear landed safely in a firefighters' net and was set to be released back into the wild.

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