Connecticut Bear Mama Has Her Hands Really Full

Connecticut just logged a first in its bear boom: a mother black bear roaming with five cubs in tow. State wildlife officials say it's the largest litter ever documented there, after video of the family surfaced by NBC4 was verified by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Black bears vanished from Connecticut by the mid-1800s as forests were cleared, then slowly returned as farmland was abandoned and woods regrew. Today, an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 bears live across the state, with sightings exploding from 22 in 1996 to more than 12,000 last year, notes Popular Science.

DEEP is using the five-cub moment to push a safety message: don't scoop up cubs that appear to be alone, even if they're crying. Mothers may forage more than a mile away for up to half a day, and "rescuing" the young "can unintentionally orphan them if the adult bear cannot locate and reunite with the cubs." With more than 1,000 sightings already reported this year and numbers likely to rise as spring advances, officials say the best approach is to keep your distance and call wildlife authorities if you're concerned.