Wardens kill 'brazen' bear on Long Trail

Posted Friday, July 12, 2019 8:12 pm

By Patricia LeBoeuf, Bennington Banner

GLASTENBURY — Game wardens shot and killed an adult male bear Friday on the Long Trail after receiving multiple complaints in one day about a bear that had no fear of humans.

Officials had received multiple complaints in the last two to three weeks from hikers, of a bear who had taken backpacks and come into the Goddard Shelter, a lean-to on the trail, while it was occupied, said Lt. Dennis Amsden, a game warden in the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

On Thursday, the issue "hit a crescendo," with multiple calls. People reported the bear was taking backpacks, and one caller said the bear had apparently "charged somebody," Amsden said.

"We were encouraging people to [scare] the bear as much as possible," Amsden said. "But unfortunately, its behavior — it became more brazen."

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