Steve the bear grabbing lunch Wednesday.
As 54 frantic calls came in to the city about another bear roaming upper Westville, Steve was calmly checking out the offerings at a bird feeder on Stevenson Road.
Those calls came in to the city’s emergency network on Wednesday, the latest instance this summer of bears spotted on neighborhood streets.
The bear seen Wednesday stopped by Mark Rolleri’s backyard on Stevenson Road around 2:30 p.m.
Rolleri was relaxing on the couch at the time, he said, when “my husband came screaming through the house that there was a bear in back!”
Rolleri “jumped up, grabbed my phone (of course) and went out to see this big beautiful beast munching away on our neighbor’s bird feeders.”
Check out some of the action in the video at the top of the story, which Rolleri shared.
Given the bear’s choice of street to visit, Rolleri dubbed him “Steve.” He called it “exhilarating and humbling to watch this massive animal bend the metal poles right to the ground. The bear was so hot and hungry, and I’m glad he was able to get a full belly. I feel terrible for my neighbors, since they’re avid bird watchers, but their high-quality birdseed was an all-you-can-eat buffet for Steve the Bear.”
Steve remained in the vicinity for two and a half hours “licking every bird feeder clean,”
Rolleri reported. He was also spotted on Curtis Drive, around Hopkins School, and down the hill on Cleveland Road in the Westville flats.
New Haven’s animal control officer, Joseph Manganiello, headed to the neighborhood to check out the calls. He said he found the bear in a side yard in the vicinity of Kohary Drive, munching from a bird feeder.
“I got out of my van and yelled and made a little noise. He was afraid of me,” Manganiello reported. “It was typical behavior of these guys — no aggression. I don’t think there’s anything to be afraid of.”
But if you see a bear, Manganiello cautioned, don’t approach it. “Go the other way, or make a big amount of noise. You don’t want to corner him or try to catch him.”
Manganiello advised cleaning outdoor grills after cooking and keeping garbage containers locked so as not to lure hungry bears to your backyard.
He also advised people to “Get rid of bird feeders,” which can become bear feeders instead.
On July 2, a mother bear and her cub were spotted roaming lower Westville. A staffer from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), called in for help, found the mother on Emerson Street, according to city emergency management chief Rick Fontana.
The mother bear, which had reportedly been aggressive, climbed a tree; a DEEP staffer shot a tranquilizer to immobilize her, Fontana said. The fire department was called to help retrieve the bear, but that proved unnecessary: the bear was close to the ground and “fell out,” uninjured. The bear was returned to the surrounding woods.
Meanwhile, the cub left the scene and headed to Edgewood School. Police officers spent “a couple of hours” following the cub around to ensure everyone was safe, Fontana reported. Eventually the cub crossed Forest Road and disappeared into the woods.