[Updated, 1:25 p.m.] A bear with an injured paw was captured in West Hartford by Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials and tranquilized Monday morning.

By Ronni Newton

Update, 1:25 p.m.

DEEP Spokesperson Chris Collibee said that after evaluating the injuries to the paw of a bear tranquilized and captured in West Hartford on Monday morning, a determination was made that the bear could be relocated and it has been released in Litchfield County.

Collibee also confirmed that the bear was a 250-pound male.

Original Story

Farmington Police had been trying to track down a bear for about a week after learning that it had injured its paw by stepping into some type of trap, and the bear was located Monday morning in West Hartford not far from the town line, police said.

“We were looking for it, trying to track it down. It looked like it was injured,” a Farmington Police spokesperson said Monday morning.

“It ended up on Ridgewood Road this morning, under a shed,” West Hartford Police Lt. Michael Perruccio said Monday. “We quickly determined we needed to call the state,” he said.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) responded to the scene, and a wildlife specialist tranquilized the bear and removed it from the property.

Initial calls to West Hartford Police Monday morning had indicated that a black bear with a possible injury was seen on a dock along Wood Pond, behind 335 Ridgewood Rd., Perruccio said.

The bear was eventually tranquilized and removed from beneath a shed at 295 Ridgewood Rd.

There have been conflicting reports about whether or not the bear still had a trap attached to its paw when it was captured.

DEEP Spokesperson Chris Collibee confirmed late Monday morning that DEEP’s Wildlife Division and the states EnCon [Environmental Conservation] Police responded to Ridgewood Road and DEEP was able to tranquilize the bear, which was a male.

“We are evaluating the extent of its injuries,” Collibee said. He did not have an update on the bear’s prognosis but said one would be forthcoming Monday afternoon. “We need to figure out the proper course of action,” Collibee said.

Perruccio cautioned residents that injured animals can act unpredictably. “It’s a good idea to stay as far away from wild animals as you can, especially when they are injured,” he said.

This story will be updated as soon as information from DEEP is received.

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