A bear was recently caught on video enjoying a backyard slide in Simsbury, Connecticut, providing a delightful yet cautionary glimpse into the increasing interactions between humans and wildlife in the area.
On Saturday, April 19, 2025, Sarah Loving and her family returned home from lunch to find two bears wandering through their backyard. While bear sightings have become relatively common in Simsbury—a suburban community northwest of Hartford—what happened next was unexpected. One of the bears climbed onto the family’s wooden playset and slid headfirst down the slide into a patch of sand, appearing completely at ease. Loving captured the moment on video as the bear lingered briefly before moving on with its companion to a neighbor’s yard. The entire episode lasted about 10 minutes .
This playful encounter underscores a broader trend: bear sightings and interactions in Connecticut have been on the rise. According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), 2024 saw bear reports in 159 of the state’s 169 towns, with Simsbury leading at 967 sightings. The state’s bear population is estimated between 1,000 and 1,200, and incidents of bears entering homes reached a decade-high of 67 in 2024. DEEP advises residents to secure trash, remove bird feeders by late March, and supervise pets to minimize conflicts .
