A reader sent me the scoop on a bear sighting Thursday at Stamford's Bartlett Arboretum- a 350 pound bear, to be exact. During the day, a neighbor just north of the Bartlett called to say a bear had crossed into Bartlett property, which consists of 91 acres two miles north of the Merritt, off High Ridge. The place was full of campers at the time, so the employees went out onto the trails to try to find the bear before it found the campers. When they did indeed come upon the bear, it got away from them as fast as it could by leaping into a swamp and swimming away. I thought you should know about this story because:
1. The Bartlett employees seem pretty brave.
2. If you're in North Stamford, you should know what to do if you come upon a bear. Both the Bartlett and Stamford Museum and Nature Center have nice trails that you should still feel safe to enjoy.
3. The bear was pretty close to High Ridge Road, so if you are driving up there, don't be shocked if you see a fat, giant black dog... and realize, a second later, it's a bear. (This happened to my sister in high school in Virginia.)
Other wild animals you might see on your jaunts around Stamford include wild turkeys and coyotes.
Related Stamford Talk posts:
--April 13, 2008-- Wolves- I Mean, Coyotes!
--January 14, 2008-- Ahoooooooooooooo: Coyotes in Stamford
--November 20, 2007-- Wild Turkeys: New Residents of the FC ("I’ve been told I should write about more controversial topics, but all I can say is, Have you seen those wild turkeys?")
--July 9, 2008-- Bartlett's Farmers' Market: Bumpy Start
--July 6, 2008--New Farmers' Market in North Stamford
--July 9, 2008--The Bartlett Arboretum is Awesome!!!
