A bear was spotted near Whole Foods at 50 Memorial Road in West Hartford on Thursday morning.

Screenshot from video by Ben Julius of bear near Whole Foods in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square. Courtesy image

By Ronni Newton

We-Ha.com reader Ben Julius shared some videos he took on Thursday morning, at 9:55 a.m., of a black bear in Blue Back Square, strolling along Raymond Road headed toward the Whole Foods store at 50 Memorial Road.

Another view of the bear in @bluebacksquare pic.twitter.com/rqNzKjrw9e

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While bears are now commonly seen throughout West Hartford, it remains rare to see them in the more urban areas of town such as Blue Back Square. Last July, employees of YHB Investments on South Main Street captured video and photos of a bear strolling along the sidewalk, near the Noah Webster statue.

According to the most recent information on Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s website, 90 bear sightings have been reported in West Hartford this year. In 2023, there were a total of 435 bear sightings reported to DEEP, according to the website. DEEP has also logged 39 reports of bobcat sightings thus far in 2024, and there were 117 bobcat sightings in 2023, the website indicates.

Information about black bears in Connecticut, including FAQs, can be found on the DEEP website.

For tracking purposes, residents and other community members are encouraged to report bear sightings to DEEP via this form. DEEP can also be notified by email at [email protected].

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